The church was built during the fifteenth century and served before Reformation as Roman Catholic church. On 14 May 1415 bishop Frederik III of Blankenheim of Utrecht gave a license for use of old construction material of the St. Nicolaaschurch, a church laying outside the citywall, for extension of the old St. Mariechapel within the city, because the St. Nicolaaschurch burned down earlier that year.

The St. Mariechapel stood on the spot of today's church. It had a surface area of 30 by 21 meters. Around 1435 they started building a tower for the new church, which lasted five years to finish. The tower (height: 243 Amsterdam-feet) was higher than the St. Eusebiuschurh in Arnhem. The church masters poured two bells for it in 1440.

In 1503, during an enormous fire within the town the roof of the church damaged and many people, who tried to escape into the 'safe' church, died in the fire. Just later in the sixteenth century the roof could be repaired. Ewolt van Delft painted the roofs in 1560 and 1561. His paintings concerns unique bible tales. The paintings not only tell us something about Scripturestories, but reveale also revolutionary ideas that were characteristic for the route to reformation. For example: Consummatum est! ('It is finished').

In 1578 Reformation took place in Harderwijk, and from that moment on the church has been only used for Protestant worship; after that time no Catholic mass has been celebrated.

During a thunderstorm on the 28th of January 1797, the east wall of the tower collapsed, together with half of the nave. Later the north and south wall followed, whereupon with a gun shot the western wall was fetched down. Today only 2/5 of the old nave remains.

In the period between 1967-1980, the church was restored thoroughly. During this restoration the unique roof paintings from Ewolt van Delft were found. These paintings were hidden under layers of lime.

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One can visit the church (for free) from Monday till Thursday between 1.30 and 4.30 p.m. in the period between 30 April and halfway September.