Caacupé (;
Guarani: Ka'akupe , literally: "Behind the Mount") is a city and district in
Paraguay
Paraguay, officially the Republic of Paraguay, is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the Argentina–Paraguay border, south and southwest, Brazil to the Brazil–Paraguay border, east and northeast, and Boli ...
. It is the capital of the
department of
Cordillera
A cordillera is a chain or network of mountain ranges, such as those in the west coast of the Americas. The term is borrowed from Spanish, where the word comes from , a diminutive of ('rope').
The term is most commonly used in physical geogra ...
.
The town was founded in 1770 by Carlos Murphy, a grenadier in the service of King
Charles III of Spain
Charles III (; 20 January 1716 – 14 December 1788) was King of Spain in the years 1759 to 1788. He was also Duke of Parma and Piacenza, as Charles I (1731–1735); King of Naples, as Charles VII; and King of Sicily, as Charles III (or V) (1735â ...
, although a first settlement existed here from the 17th century.
[''"Places of Peace and Power – Caacupé"'' – SacredSites.com]
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The city is the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Caacupé. Caacupé is best known as the site of The Virgin of Caacupé, Saint Patron of Paraguay. The Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Miracles, Caacupé stands in the centre of the town. A major religious festival is held annually on 8 December in honour of the statuette "Our Lady of the Miracles". This statuette, carved in the 16th century by a devout convert, was miraculously saved from a great flood, and numerous miracles are ascribed to it.
Gallery
Image:Caacupe3.jpg, Basilica of Caácupe
Image:Caacupe4.jpg, Inside view of the basilica.
Image:Caacupe5.jpg, Pilgrims
File:BasÃlica de Caacupé.jpg, Aerial Panoramic view of BasÃlica de Caacupé
References
External list
Official website
Caacupé District
Populated places established in 1770
1770 establishments in the Spanish Empire
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