The church is dedicated to the Irish Saint Dympna, who according to legend was beheaded and buried in Geel in 600. She is the patron saint of the mentally ill and the church was a pilgrimage church. The present church building began in 1349, built in white sandstone. In 1489 it was ravaged by fire, after which reconstruction and expansion took place. Construction lasted until 1585 on the massive tower, decorated with layers of white sandstone and brown iron sandstone, but the tower was never completed. It was restored as a Catholic parish church in 1874.