The monastery order clarions originally had their convent near the Halle Gate, where they settled in 1343 at the invitation of a generous lender. This monastery was demolished in 1578 to expand the city walls and the sisters settled here, in the monastery of Nazareth, the former property of the Frères de la vie commune. In the 17th century, they decided to expand and renovate their monastery, as well as to build a new church. Construction commenced in 1665, according to plans by the architect Luc Fayd'herbe (1617-1697).
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Thirty years later, the building is the victim of the bombardment of the city by the French army and must be rebuilt. The rebuild was stopped during the French occupation who added two new streets crossing on the grounds of the monastery, the Rijke Klarenstraat, and the Sint-Kristoffelstraat.
The church is reopened, enlarged, and got its religious function back in 1806, this time as a parish church. During the battles of September 1830, the church served as a hospital for the wounded. On 15 June 1989, the church was the victim of a heavy fire, and since then it has been painstakingly restored. Among other things, the organs are definitely lost. At the same time, excavations were carried out that exposed remains of the old monastery.