Construction began in 1747, though the church could not be consecrated until 1754 (other sources give 1755). Built of timber with a shingle roof, it was extended with a transept and a southern porch in 1752 under the Ostrobothnian master builder Hans Biskop, while a further porch was added to the west in 1779. To help fund the building, every household in Sweden was required to pay one öre annually for four years, giving the church its alternative nickname, the Ettöreskyrkan (One-Öre Church). At its consecration it was formally named Friedrich kyrkan, after King Fredrik I.
The freestanding bell tower, built in 1768, forms the entrance to the churchyard and remains one of the most recognisable features of the site.
When Gällivare nya kyrka was completed in 1882, the church's 1779 altarpiece and other decorative items were moved to the new building, leaving the old church comparatively plain until a partial restoration in 1901, when a window was opened where the altarpiece had once stood. Today the interior includes carved wooden altar decorations made by a local craftsman.
The present organ was built in 1971 by Grönlunds Orgelbyggeri of Gammelstad, a mechanical instrument typical of the era's craftsmanship.