Historically, the area of Ålesund was part of the Borgund Church parish. In 1848, Ålesund was established as a kjøpstad and soon after it was granted permission to build a church. The first church in Ålesund was constructed in 1853-1854 and it was consecrated on 25 January 1855. The new church became its own parish in 1858. The new church was designed by the architect Heinrich Ernst Schirmer. The church's design was very similar to the Strøm Church in Sør-Odal municipality in Hedmark county. It was built out of brick and it had a cruciform design. The exterior brick was left unpainted, but the western tower was covered in white plaster. On 23 January 1904, the church was destroyed by the great Ålesund fire. Hundreds of buildings were destroyed and nearly the entire town had to be rebuilt. Afterwards, a competition of architects was held to design the new, replacement church building. Sverre Knudsen was chosen as the person to design the new Ålesund Church.