The church was built between 1909 and 1912, and consecrated by Bishop Olof Bergqvist on 8 December 1912.[1] Since 1913, the church has been included in the Jukkasjärvi parish in the diocese of Luleå. Gustaf Wickman was the church's architect and the famous altarpiece is a work of Prince Eugen, Duke of Närke.

Gustaf Wickman moved to Kiruna in 1899. Hjalmar Lundbohm, manager of LKAB and founder of the community, commissioned Wickman to design the church and town. The construction was primarily funded by LKAB Mining company. In order to ensure that everyone felt welcome in the church, Lundbohm did not use many symbols associated with Christianity. Bishop Olof Bergqvist, however, requested that the church be affiliated with Christianity. The Swedish sculptor Christian Eriksson made one cross for the entire building as a compromise. [2]

In 2001, Kiruna Church was voted the most popular pre-1950 building in Sweden, in a country-wide poll conducted by the Swedish Travelling Exhibitions, a government agency connected to the Ministry of Culture.[3] It is considered to be "the Shrine of the Nomadic people."[4]

Due to the expansion of the Kiruna Mine, the church is slated to be moved to a location adjacent to the cemetery in 2025 or 2026.[5]