Originally, people living in the Barbu area were part of the Tromøy Church parish, and they had a long journey to the church. In 1859, fundraising and planning began for a new church on the mainland part of the parish. There was no agreement on where the church should be located and due to the quickly growing areas, it was decided to build two churches. Stokken Church was built in 1877 for the northeastern part of the mainland part of the parish and then in 1880 Barbu Church was built to serve the southwestern part of the mainland area in the parish. The new church was consecrated on 17 September 1880 by the BishopJørgen Engebretsen Moe. The brick church has a rectangular nave with a chancel that is a half-octagon. The brick building exterior is covered with gray/brown plaster.[3][4]
