 The deanery was created when the old "Lofoten og Vesterålen prosti" was divided in two, creating Lofoten prosti in the south and Vesterålen prosti in the north.On 1 January 2020, the churches in Lødingen Municipality were transferred from the Ofoten prosti to the Vesterålen prosti.This deanery covers three municipalities in the Ofoten district in the northern part of Nordland county