It formerly was the main church for the Tranøy parish which is part of the Senja prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Nord-Hålogaland.

The white, wooden church was built in a cruciform style in 1775 by an unknown architect.

Around the mid-1700s, the nave was expanded by adding two cross arms, giving it a cruciform design.

In the 1770s, the church was found to be dilapidated and damaged by moisture due to being located on a "swampy site".

Today, the island of Tranøya is no longer populated and it does not have a road connection to the rest of the municipality.