Veøya
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Veøya (or Veøy) is an historic island outside Molde, Norway, located in Romsdalsfjord between Sekken and the mainland, at the junction of the three main branches of the fjord. It consists of one larger and two smaller islands. The name Veøy is from old Norse ve, 'holy'; and øy, Norwegian for 'island'.
This was a strategic location for the coastal routes during the Viking period. The southern branch of Romsdalsfjord lead to Romsdal (the present day Åndalsnes), where important trade routes led up the valley to Lesja. From there it followed the pilgrim trail over Dovre to Trøndelag, or down the Gudbrandsdal to Ostlandet. The eastern branch led through Langfjord where they hauled their ships over 5km wide, low-lying ithmus at Eidsvåg, in order to avoid the dreaded waters of Hustadvika, and then back to the shipping routes northwards to Nidaros (modern day Trondheim). To the west, past the inlet of the fjord, were the southbound routes to Bergen.
At this junction Veøy was established as a kaupang (old Norse for a market town)), and Romsdal’s economic, administrative and religious center. It had only 300-500 permanent residents, but as an important commercial center, it saw many more during the sailing season in the summer. The Apostle Peter's church, which is built in stone, the only survivor of three churches on Veøya in the middle ages, dates from ca 1200. It has a capacity of 400 people, and served the entire region, while the other churches served the local population.
Veøya is mentioned by Snorre Sturlason in connection with the battle of Sekken in 1162 where king Håkon Herdebrei was killed by Erling Skakke on July 7 1162, during the Norwegian civil wars.
Veøya, or nearby on the mainland, was probably the seat of Ragnvald Eysteinsson (Ragnvald Mørejarl), earl of Møre, who through his son Hrolf Ganger (Gange-Rolv or Rollo) is the potential ancestor of several european dynastic houses.
The island was Norway's first legally protected land, and the buildings on the island are now part of the Romsdal museum.
