At the end of the 18th century French occupants of Bruges chased away the bishop of the city and demolished the St. Donatius church, seat of the bishop. In 1834, after the Belgian independence in 1830, a new bishop was installed in Bruges and the St. Salvator's church was promoted to the status of cathedral. However, the building itself was not very cathedral-like. It was actually much smaller and much less impressive than the nearby church of Our Lady. Hence, St. Salvator's had to be adapted to its new status. A higher, more impressive tower was needed.