It is the church for the Vågan parish which is part of the Lofoten prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Sør-Hålogaland.

The yellow, wooden church was built in a cruciform style in 1898 using plans drawn up by the architect Carl J. Bergstrøm.

The church seats about 1,200 people, making it the largest wooden building in Northern Norway, hence the nickname Lofoten Cathedral.

[4][5] By the late 1800s, the Kabelvåg area had seen a lot of population growth due to the tremendous fishing opportunities each season.

It was nicknamed the "Lofoten Cathedral" (Lofotkatedralen) by Eivind Berggrav, the Bishop of the Diocese of Oslo in 1929.