A modest chapel built in 1304 by the Grand Serment des Arbalétriers (Crossbowmen's Guild) was the first religious building known to have stood on the site of the current church. The chapel, which held a miraculous statue of the Virgin Mary, soon became a place of pilgrimage and was enlarged substantially in the 15th century. The exterior has been restored several times since the 19th century, with work being overseen by architects including Auguste Schoy and Jules-Jacques and Maurice Van Ysendyck. Inside, the vast tripartite nave retains its clean lines and integrity. On either side of the choir, two Baroque chapels were built in 1651 and 1690 by architect Lucas Fayd'herbe. The one on the left, dedicated to St Ursula, contains the tombs of Prince Lamoral II of Thurn and Taxis and his wife Anne-Françoise de Hornes, as well as many other members of this family. The same transept features a stained-glass window of King Albert I and Queen Elisabeth, with their patron saints St Albert of Louvain and St Elizabeth of Hungary, with the ruins of Nieuwpoort and Ypres in the background – sad reminders of the horrors of the First World War. The church is the setting for celebrations, anniversaries and commemorations of various confraternities, and is also the starting point for the famous Ommegang historical procession. (Listed 05/03/1936)