Historians believe it was built for a wealthy man who belonged to the very upper echelon within the Norwegian aristocracy.

Later, a small nave was added and then later a wooden tower with a stone base was constructed on the west end.

The issue was first raised by the local parish priest Jørgen Christian Andreas Grøner who complained about the size of the two churches.

Soon after, the local priest decided to no longer hold services at the Hopperstad Stave Church since it was so cold and drafty.

Just as when he renovated the nearby Hopperstad Stave Church, Blix removed all the fixtures that were not from the Middle Ages.

[3][4][7] The church is still owned by the state, and it is administered by the Society for the Preservation of Ancient Norwegian Monuments.

Since 2017, the annual Nynorsk Church Music Festival (Nynorsk kyrkjemusikkfestival) has been hosted at the church, with daily Choral Evensong in the English/Anglican tradition, sung by a small chamber choir from England, under the direction of James Reed, a former Cantor in the municipality.