The first Orthodox monastery in Belgium was founded in 1976 by Belgian monk Thomas Jacobs in the locality of Perwez, located in West Flanders. Initially, it was a skete established with the blessing of Bishop Jacob of The Hague and the Netherlands and with the permission of Archbishop Basil of Brussels.

In 1978, the skete was transformed into a communal monastery operating under the rule of St. Basil the Great.

In 1988, a church dedicated to the icon of the Mother of God 'Joy of All Who Sorrow' was built in the monastery, adorned with frescoes by protodeacon Pavel Hommes. On October 24, the church was consecrated by Archbishop Simon of Brussels and Belgium, and the parish received official recognition from the Belgian authorities. Next to the church, a brotherhood building was erected, and a garden was laid out.

The monastery houses many Orthodox relics, including the relics of St. Palmaty of Trier, a 3rd-century Roman consul who converted to Christianity and was martyred along with his family. These relics were brought to the monastery in 1997. It also contains the relics of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, St. John Chrysostom, St. Basil the Great, St. Great Martyr and Healer Panteleimon, St. Ignatius the Godbearer, St. Martin of Tours, St. Palmaty, St. Anthony the Great, St. Ambrose of Optina, and St. Seraphim of Sarov. Additionally, the monastery preserves particles of the Honorable and Life-Giving Cross and the Crown of Thorns of the Savior.