The earliest existing historical records of the church date back to the year 1311, but the church was likely built in the 12th century. The medieval church was probably a stave church and it stood at Sønnanå, about 500 metres (0.31 mi) to the southwest of the present site of the church. During the 1620s, the church underwent a major renovation and then in 1670, the congregation decided to demolish the old church and build a new one on the same site.[3]
In 1814, this church served as an election church (Norwegian: valgkirke).[4] Together with more than 300 other parish churches across Norway, it was a polling station for elections to the 1814 Norwegian Constituent Assembly which wrote the Constitution of Norway. This was Norway's first national elections. Each church parish was a constituency that elected people called "electors" who later met together in each county to elect the representatives for the assembly that was to meet in Eidsvoll later that year.[4][5]
In the late 1820s and again in 1834, the church was repaired after being struck by lightning and heavily damaged.[3] In 1881, the parish built a new church about 500 metres (0.31 mi) to the northeast. After the new church was consecrated and in use, the old church was closed and in 1883, the old church was torn down. The cemetery surrounding the old church continued to be used for a time after the church was torn down, but eventually the cemetery was closed as well.[3][6]
