The pilgrimage site of Gaboltov has been known for centuries, especially for its veneration of Our Lady of Mount Carmel and the St. John of God tradition.
The village of Gaboltov lies in the north-eastern part of Slovakia 15 km north-west of Bardejov in the valley of the Kamenec stream below the hill called Busov. About 3 km from the village is the Slovak-Polish state border.
The foundation of the present parish church of St. Vojtech dates back to 1370. The first written mention of the parish priest of Gaboltov, Mikuláš, dates back to 1439. The oldest written record of the church is a description of the Makovický manor from 1492. In the inventory of villages on the manor, Gaboltov is also mentioned with a stone church, a wooden tower and a cemetery. The church was built in the Gothic style, later a stone tower was added and other building modifications took place. After the Reformation, at the beginning of the 17th century, evangelical parish priests worked in Gaboltov for some time, from the middle of the 17th century onwards. The church was restored to Catholics, among them also Franciscans. After the founding of the Brotherhood of Our Lady of the Scapular in 1706, which is attached to the Archabbey in Rome, Gaboltov becomes a place of pilgrimage and the church a destination for many pilgrims.
Gaboltov is connected with the veneration of St. Vojtech, the Czech bishop and martyr, who, according to tradition, stopped here with his procession and blessed the spring from which he drank. This spring is located near the church. St. Vojtech. The cult of the patron saint and respect for him are strongly rooted in Gaboltovo, as evidenced by the chapel of St. Vojtech above the church, the coat of arms of the village and the seal of the Gaboltovo parish.
The village of Gaboltov is a part of the Slovak Marian Way and is a pilgrimage cycling route connecting important Marian pilgrimage sites in Slovakia. It starts in Gaboltov near Bardejov and follows two routes to the Basilica of the Virgin Mary of the Seven Sorrows in Šaštín. There are two stages of the pilgrimage: northern and southern, with the starting point in both cases being the village of Gaboltov and its church of St. Vojtech. The southern route and stage 1 includes the churches in the region of Šariš - churches in Bardejov, Giraltovce and Prešov. The entire route of the pilgrimage route is designed as a wreath of places associated with Marian veneration. The pilgrimage also brings the discovery of the beauty of Slovakia and the development of physical and mental fitness of the pilgrim.
Source: http://www.gaboltov.rimkat.sk/
Photo: Mgr. Mgr. Jozef Kotulič, CBS
