The church dates back to the 1100s, when it was built in Romanesque style using local stone. Of that original building, only the chancel survives today, along with what are thought to be parts of the tower. The village of Vallkärra itself was burned during the 1676 Battle of Lund, fought nearby between Swedish and Danish forces, but the church seems to have escaped destruction.
A major transformation came in the mid-1800s, when the Lund professor Carl Georg Brunius carried out extensive rebuilding, reportedly tripling the church's floor area. The building's present appearance, however, dates mainly from a thorough restoration in 1906–1907 led by cathedral architect Theodor Wåhlin, during which the medieval vaults were removed, the nave was raised, and new tunnel vaulting, a font, altar table and pews were introduced.
During these works, faded Romanesque wall paintings were discovered beneath layers of limewash, though in poor condition. They are attributed to the so-called Finja Master and have helped date the original church. The paintings were copied onto pasteboard and later moved to the Historical Museum in Lund, where they can still be seen.
The church's oldest bell, cast in 1621, was sold in the early twentieth century to the Kulturen open-air museum in Lund, where it now hangs in the bell tower of the old Bosebo church. A remaining bell from 1804, inscribed with a Latin dedication, was later joined by a further bell bearing a Swedish inscription praising God.
The church has had several organs over the years, including instruments built in 1854 and 1906; the current mechanical organ dates from 1963.