It is located in the village of Vilnes on the south side of the island of Atløyna.

It is one of several churches for the Askvoll parish which is part of the Sunnfjord prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Bjørgvin.

The old medieval church stood for centuries until 1673 when it was struck by lightning and burned to the ground.

One particular story that is recorded by the priest Heiberg in the parish register was that the Sunday after Easter in 1817 he could not hold a worship service because "the church was so full of snow that you waded into it, and on the altar was probably 3 inches (76 mm) thick with snow".

They rebuilt the roofs, insulated the walls, and added lights and heating.