The earliest existing historical records of the church date back to the year 1596, but there is evidence that there was a church in Gyland as far back as the year 1200. The old medieval stave church was located in what is now the village of Gyland. That church was torn down in the early 1600s and it was replaced by a timber-framed long church on the same site. In 1663, the church was inspected and found to be in good condition, but in 1794 when the church was again inspected, it was found to be in poor condition with rot and a roof that had leaks. Due to its poor condition, in 1815 the church building was torn down and a new, larger, cruciform building was constructed on the same site, finally being completed in 1817. Some of the materials from the old building were reused in the new building.
