Laestadianism was born around the middle of the 19th century in Swedish Lapland. The revival movement got its name from the vicar of Kaaresuvanto, Lars Levi Laestadius (1800-1861). Laestadius has said that his own religious awakening took place in Åsele, where he was a bishop’s envoy on an inspection trip in 1844. There he met a Sámi woman, Milla Clemensdotter, whose account of her own life and religious experiences influenced Laestadius himself. Laestadius later remembered Milla as Maria of Lapland. Lars Levi Laestadius, in addition to his priestly position, is also known as a prominent botanist and researcher of Sámi beliefs. He spoke three different Sámi languages, as well as Swedish and Finnish.
Laestadius moved to Pajala as vicar in 1849. The revival movement is characterized by expansiveness, and it quickly expanded from Northern Sweden to Northern Norway as well as Finland. When the Conventicle Act forbade devotional meetings organized by the laymen, Laestadius organized missionary work through village prayers, temperance fellowship work and missionary schools. According to Seppo Lohi’s dissertation, the revival movement had already spread to almost every parish in mainland Finland by the end of the 19th century. Northern Finland was, however, the most central area of spread.