The Origins of the Parish and Its Historical Significance
Since its foundation in 1371, the town of Trstená has developed as a significant Marian pilgrimage site. Thanks to its strategic location on the trade route connecting the Kingdom of Hungary with the Kingdom of Poland, it gradually developed into an important center of crafts and markets in the Upper Orava region. The spiritual center of the town was the medieval parish church, originally dedicated to the Virgin Mary, with the first written mention of the local parish dating back to 1397. It was in this church that the miraculous image of the Mother of God was housed, drawing the steps of many pilgrims from both sides of the border.
The Loss of the Miraculous Image and the Change of Patronage
During the Reformation, from the end of the 16th century, the church passed into the hands of the Evangelicals. Interestingly, despite embracing new religious ideas, the local faithful maintained a deep devotion to the image of the Virgin Mary and kept it in the church. A turning point came in 1683. During the turbulent military campaigns associated with the Battle of Vienna, Lithuanian troops marched through Orava. Their commander had this precious miraculous image taken to Vilnius as spoils of war.
At the beginning of the 18th century, following the decline of the estate uprisings and the victory of re-Catholicization, the church definitively returned to the Catholics. It was likely during this period that its patronage was changed to Saint Martin, who symbolized chivalric virtues in the fight against evil. However, devotion to the Virgin Mary in Trstená not only did not disappear but expanded significantly, as evidenced by the construction of several Marian chapels around the town. As a replacement for the looted relic, the people of Trstená had a new image of the Mother of God holding the infant Jesus commissioned. To this day, this artwork holds a place of honor on the side altar of the Parish Church of Saint Martin.
The Confraternity of Our Lady of Mount Carmel and the Franciscans
Thanks to the missionary activities of the Carmelite fathers, the Confraternity of Our Lady of Mount Carmel (the Scapular Confraternity) was founded in the town in the first third of the 18th century. Since that time, a well-known feast-day celebration associated with a traditional market has been held annually in Trstená on the Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel (July 16). Marian devotion was subsequently deepened significantly by the Franciscans from Okoličné, who settled here permanently in the 1770s and remain active in the town to this day.
Unique Confessionals and a Living Tradition
The pilgrimage character of the parish is also underscored by a unique complex of ten masonry confessionals, built directly into the church's enclosing wall and dating back to the mid-18th century. The establishment of the Trstená Deanery, seated in Trstená, also dates from the same period. A beautiful testament to the fact that faith and devotion to Jesus Christ and His Mother remain alive and relevant among the people of Trstená is the newly built Way of the Cross, which towers over the town and invites pilgrims to quiet reflection and prayer.
