The earliest existing historical records of the church date back to the year 1589 when it was referred to as the "Hemne Church of Saint Margrethae" (), but the church was not new that year. The church was a wooden stave church that was likely built in the 14th century. Descriptions of the altarpiece in the old church were dated to the late middle ages. During the 17th and 18th centuries, the church was expanded by building timber-framed transepts to create a cruciform floor plan.
