The history of the Apšu church begins as early as in the 13th century when the Christianity started to be introduced. To attract locals, first Catholic churches were built at the Ancient Latvians’ sacred places, the Apšu church was no exclusion. The Bānūžu hill fort is situated near the church where a sacred place of local importance – the sacred spring. As early as in the 18th century, people used to bring their donations to the Apšu church – necklaces, pieces of bands, coins – and place those on the altar.
The church was built in 1780. The Lodes Evangelical Lutheran Community was mentioned in 1536, and the first Apšu church was built in 1613 as a branch of the Skujenes church. It was very simple, bult as a farmhouse with no floor and seats.
In the 60th of the 20th century, the church was repeatedly plundered: the chandeliers, cup and altar plates were lost and the christening font was defiled. According to online tourism information sources, the church was used for shooting a film; in 1987, an episode from the movie based on Jānis Jaunsudrabiņš’s /Jānis Jaunsudrabiņš/ novel the Aija (“Aija”) was filmed in this church, and for the need of shooting, the film crew partly replaced the roof for the church to look more appealing in the cameras. An organ built by Martin Kresling /Martin Kresling/ in Jakobstatd in 1890 is situated in the church.
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