Thomas von Westen

After the black death in the 14th century Veøya lost its significance. From the 16th century up until 1901 the Priest along with his family and servants were the only people who lived on Veøya. The Parish of Veøya was one of the richest in Vestland. Several prominent parish priests left their mark here. One of them was Thomas von Westen. He came to Veøya in 1711. The middle painting under the gallery is of Thomas von Westen. Thomas von Westen was a complex person. Along with 6 other Priests from Romsdal and Nordmøre he started the Priests’ association ‘seven star’. They were keen to start reading training so that people could read the bible and psalm books. At the same time, he fought with zeal against what he considered to be the moral decay of the time. This led to a difficult relationship between him and the villagers. Thomas von Westen only lived on Veøya for 5 years. In 1975 he was transferred to Latinskolen in Trondheim. Here he was responsible for missionary work amongst the Sami people in the North of Norway. He believed that the Sami people should receive teachings and preaching in their own language. Already, whilst still on Veøya he had translated Luther’s small catechism into Sami, and in Trondheim he taught in the Sami language. Thomas von Westen was known as the ‘Apostle of the Sami’.