The building of the Cathedral (which used to be the collegiate church of St. Michael and St. Gudula) commenced at the beginning of the 13th century on the orders of Henry I, Duke of Brabant. This period coincides with the appearance of the Gothic style in this area. It took about 300 years to complete this gigantic undertaking. It was finished just before the reign of the emperor Charles V. Its architecture shows the different characteristics of the Brabantine Gothic style. The restoration of the nave from 1983 to 1989 gave the stones, vaults and windows their splendour of former days. It was then possible to uncover important and well-preserved remnants of the Romanesque church of the eleventh century over which the present Gothic church is built (visits to these remains are possible).