to around the year 1150, so that is possibly from the year the church was built which was also around the same time as the establishment of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Nidaros. A construction period during the mid- to late-1100s is suggested by stylistic dating of its dedicatory inscription as well as the finding of coins dating from the reign of King Sverre (1183–1202) have been found during excavations over the years. The Romanesque stone church was probably built over a period of many years starting around the year 1150. The choir was likely constructed first around the year 1150. Some time after that was completed (near the end of the 12th century), work began on a nave and tower. The rectangular nave was taller and wider than the existing choir. It had a small wooden entry porch with a small tower on the west end of the building. Dendrochronological dating of the roof structure in the nave show that timber for this was cut in the year 1198 or 1199. The church is noted for its medieval roof featuring carvings of heads (human, beast, and mythological) projecting from the top of its walls. The church is built of quarried stone that was probably mined nearby. It has always been whitewashed both outside and inside. The portal and window frames are made of hewn soapstone. In 1277, parts of the western tower collapsed. Major repair work was undertaken afterwards to remove the rest of the tower as well as raising the floor level and the altar in the choir. The church was re-consecrated after the work was completed. Modern history In 1814, this church served as an election church (). Together with more than 300 other parish churches across Norway, it was a polling station for elections to the 1814 Norwegian Constituent Assembly which wrote the Constitution of Norway. This was Norway's first national elections. Each church parish was a constituency that elected people called "electors" who later met together in each county to elect the representatives for the assembly that was to meet in Eidsvoll later that year. Several renovations and restorations have been undertaken over the years. In 1878 Rasmus Overrein was hired to do some repairs and renovations. During the 1920s, under the direction of architect Claus Hjelte (1884-1969) minor repair work was undertaken. In 1956, architect John Egil Tverdahl was given the task of planning