It is the church for the Herdla parish which is part of the Vesthordland prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Bjørgvin.

[1][2] The oldest existing written accounts of this church on Herdla is a letter from Pope Eugenius III in 1146 that mentions "St. Nicholas's Church on Herdla" Latin: Ecclesiam sancti Nicholai de hardle.

Later, around 1300, the church was significantly rebuilt and enlarged in a Gothic style with pointed arches.

There was a sacristy on the south side of the choir and a church porch with a tower on the west end of the nave.

[3][4][5] After the fire, the church was rebuilt on the same foundation, reusing the same exterior walls using plans by the architect Ole Halvorsen.

Under the floor, a large tunnel system was built that went across the island, including underneath much of the cemetery.

The church has a lower tower than before, because at that time there were plans to make Herdla the main airport for the city of Bergen.