The church was originally built between 1864 and 1865 as a chapel at Muonionalusta, beside the Muonio river close to the Swedish-Finnish border. It was designed by the architect Ludvig Hawerman in a restrained neoclassical style typical of Swedish rural church building of the period.
In 1925 the entire timber structure was moved around ten kilometres to its present site, and a renovation followed the next year. The move preserved the church's original appearance, so what visitors see today is largely the same building that once stood by the river, rather than a later replica.
Architecturally, the church consists of a timbered nave with a chancel at the eastern end, behind which stands an attached stone sacristy. The bell tower at the western end was added slightly later than the rest of the building and is topped with a lantern and spire. The exterior walls are clad in horizontal panelling, giving the building a plain, functional character suited to its origins as a chapel.
Inside, the altarpiece was painted by Gerda Höglund and installed during the 1926 renovation, replacing what had previously been a simple cross. Further restoration work took place in 1956 and 1987, though the building has retained its historic form throughout these interventions.