When the parish church of Bocholtz built in 1697 became too small the building turned out to be in too bad a state to enlarge it. In 1869 the parish asked the bishop for permission to replace the old church. P.J.H. Cuypers had already made a plan in the previous year. Permission was granted, perhaps because the plan was already there. Although not a big church it took four years to complete it; possibly work was ceased several times because of the bad financial position of the parish.
Cuypers took much of his inspiration for this church from the medieval H. Johannes in Nieuwstadt, a remarkable church for the restoration of which he had made plans in 1862, although the actual restoration did not start until 1880. The same church formed the inspiration for Cuypers' first design for a church in Baarlo, which was not accepted. The plan for Bocholtz is largely based on that first one for Baarlo.
The church is a three-aisled basilican building with a transept and a choir with a closure of 5 sides. A typical feature are the circular windows in the clerestorey. The original choir was demolished in the early 1950's and replaced by a new transept-like extension and a new choir in 1953-1954, designed by architect H.J.A. Koene.