[1] It is the main church for the Tana parish which is part of the Indre Finnmark prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Nord-Hålogaland.

The unique, brown, wooden church was built in a long church style in 1964 using designs drawn up by the architect Esben Poulsson (1907-1974) to replace the old church that was burned down by the retreating German forces towards the end of World War II.

This new building was designed by the architect Jacob Wilhelm Nordan.

The church was destroyed by fire in 1944 by the retreating German army which burned most buildings in Finnmark.

The church was constructed of wood with a roof covered in tiles of quartz shale from nearby Alta Municipality.