The church was built as a temporary structure, intended to be replaced by a grand stone church. Timber for the building was shipped from Riga, then part of Sweden's realm. Plans for a permanent stone church, to be named Adolf Fredrikskyrkan, progressed as far as laid foundations in 1760, but funds ran out after twenty years and the unfinished walls were eventually demolished around 1850. The wooden church has remained in use ever since, and its exterior was later given architectural detailing in a barock style to resemble the stone church that never was.
The identity of the original architect is uncertain, but the fine proportions have led some to attribute the design to Erik Dahlbergh, a leading figure of Swedish Carolean architecture. Built in the form of a Greek cross on a stone foundation, the church has a cubic central body crowned by an octagonal lantern, with lower cross-arms serving as porches. The timber façades are painted red and divided by pilasters, a colour scheme reinstated in 1985 despite objections from Sweden's national heritage board, which favoured other treatments.,