Known as Alšvanga in the past, this place was mentioned for the first time in 1231 in an agreement that was signed between the deputy legate of the pope in Rome and the Courlandian tribes of the region.  The Livonian Order ruled the territory until 1561, and from 1573 until 1738 the order’s castle belonged to the von Schwerin dynasty from Pomerania.  It during the rule of this aristocratic family that a stone church was built in honour of Archangel Michael, and local residents began to convert to Catholicism.  Alsunga became the Catholic centre for all of Kurzeme, and local residents became known as the Suiti (from the Schwerin suite).

For nearly 400 years, Alsunga has been the historical centre of the Suiti territory.  This is Latvia’s most conservative region and is widely known with unusual songs, colourful folk costumes and various folk traditions and beliefs.  The Suiti have their own dialect, foods and many other things that have been long since abandoned or forgotten elsewhere in Latvia.  The religious has commingled with the folk here in one unique whole.  The Alsunga District covers 191 km2 and has some 1,500 residents.

The present wooden church on the hill was built in 1947 but today it has been restored. Currently, the deanery of Rezekne is located there. Every day you can see it from the outside. Until 1960, in Dukstigals there were two congregations: White Dukstigals (Šadurska) and Black Dukstigal (Slobodska). In White Dukstigals, the church was built in 1775. In 1960, during the time of the Soviet power, the church was violently demolished, despite the fact that it was an architectural monument and the oldest wooden church in Latgale-367years old! The "excuse" was the explanation that one congregation must not have two churches.