It is located in the village of Sande on the southern shore of the island of Sandsøya.

It is the church for the Sande parish which is part of the Søre Sunnmøre prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Møre.

[1][2] The island of Sandsøya has been a church site since the Middle Ages, and the Sande farm was owned by a noble family at least as far back as 1329.

At some point during the 1500s or 1600s, the church was enlarged by adding a transept to the north and south of the nave which created a cruciform floor plan.

The transept (cross-arms) measured 20 by 20 feet (6.1 m × 6.1 m) each and there was also a 12-by-12-foot (3.7 m × 3.7 m) square church porch that served as the main entrance to the building.