The façade of this church designed by Cobergher on the orders of Albert and Isabella has a Roman origin. It is relatively low and compressed because the architect made the western entrance open into a round church and so the view of the great dome crowning it was left free. The choice of a round church is a rarity for the Low Countries, it is connected with the specific site of the building: the round church had to crown the top of a hill. In plan and elevation the architecture of Scherpenheuvel is the result of Cobergher's thorough familiarity with the Roman church architecture of the later sixteenth century.
