It is the church for the Stavern parish which is part of the Larvik prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Tunsberg.

The red brick church was built in a cruciform design in 1756 using plans drawn up by the architect Michael Johan Herbst.

[1][2] In 1748, it was decided to build a shipyard and fleet base of the Royal Navy of Denmark-Norway in what is now the town of Stavern.

As part of the naval base, it was supposed to be able to serve as a multipurpose building with grain storage in the attic (hence the visible air ducts in the roof).

On 2 December 2019, the diocesan council of the Diocese of Tunsberg formally voted to decide the issue once and for all: the parish is named Stavern sokn (Stavern parish) and the church is called Fredriksvern kirke (Fredriksvern Church).