The church is thought to stand on the site of an earlier wooden church, though the present stone building dates from the 13th century. It has been altered and enlarged several times since, and today takes the form of a cross-shaped (cruciform) church with its main entrance to the west.
The most significant transformation came in the 17th century, when Magnus Granatenhielm financed major rebuilding work, adding the transepts and giving the church much of its current appearance. His portrait, together with that of his wife, who paid for the extension of the side aisles, appears on the altarpiece at the east end of the church.
One of the most memorable features for visitors is the ceiling, painted in the 1730s by Johan Kinnerus, whose decoration covers the entire interior roof. Kinnerus was also responsible for some of the celebrated paintings at Habo church, and the Barnarp ceiling is often mentioned in the same breath as that better-known work.
Near the altar stand the pulpit, dating from 1708 and carved by the diocesan sculptor Torbern Röding of Växjö, and the font. The church has had a succession of organs: an instrument was acquired in 1750 from Jonas Wistenius of Linköping, followed by later organs built in 1899 and 1936. The current mechanical organ dates from 1970, though it retains the façade of the 1750 instrument.