The oldest parts of the church, the tower and nave, are generally dated to the later 1100s, though one dendrochronological study suggests the nave timber may date from as early as 1123 — if correct, this would make Knista one of the earliest dated churches in Närke. These older sections are built of well-cut limestone in a manner typical of medieval church building in the region.
Between the mid-1300s and mid-1500s the chancel was widened to match the width of the nave, transforming the building into a single-hall church, and the sacristy was added during the same broad period. A further, more substantial three-sided chancel with a wooden barrel vault was added in 1724–29, extending beyond the older walls. A burial chapel for the Hofsten family of Villingsberg was built in 1765, and in 1986 a further extension in a style matching the medieval sacristy was added against the north wall of the chancel.
Inside, the vaults carry painted decoration from 1617, the date recorded in the western vault, executed by an unknown painter; fragments of earlier, even older wall paintings survive on the south wall. The paintings were plastered over at some point and rediscovered and restored in 1909, following a thorough interior refurbishment in 1865 during which the altar was rebuilt, the walls limewashed and the woodwork repainted.
Around the church stands a small cluster of older buildings connected to the community's history, including a timbered tithe barn later used as a mortuary house, a former parsonage farm, a former school building (now used as a parish hall), and a poorhouse dating from 1756.
The pulpit dates from 1725 and the altarpiece from 1728, both installed not long after the 18th-century chancel was completed. The church has had a succession of organs since the mid-19th century, and its windows include glass paintings created by Torsten Nordberg in 1950.