Caacupé

Caacupé on the map of Paraguay

Caacupé ( Guaraní Ka'akupe ) is the capital of the department of Cordillera of the State of Paraguay. The town has 19,131 inhabitants Caacupé ( 2002 census ), the same district 42 127. In 1982, the town had 9,151 inhabitants. The annual population growth is estimated at about 3%.

Geography

The city was founded on April 4, 1770 is about 50 km east of the provincial capital of Asunción in the hilly landscape, which the Department ( Cordillera is Spanish for mountains) got its name. Through the town performs the highway Ruta 2 ( Mariscal José Félix Estigarribia ) that connects the 53 km distant Asunción with Ciudad del Este and Brazil.

The climate is subtropical with an average annual temperature of 22 ° C and an annual rainfall of 1536 mm on average.

Place of pilgrimage

Of national significance is the place because of the nearby cathedral at its center " Basílica de la Virgen de los Milagros ", the episcopal church of the diocese Caacupé. The area covered by a large dome central building, the largest church and religious center of the country, was started in 1945 and after many delays in construction, partly because of lack of money, to be consecrated in 1988 by Pope John Paul II during his visit to Paraguay.

• Basilica of Caacupé

Every year during the week of December 8 (Immaculate Conception) gather in the church and on the large forecourt every day hundreds of thousands of Christians from all parts of Paraguay, but also from the surrounding countries. The pilgrims pay homage to the miraculous Virgin Mary. This is shown in the church with a 60 cm large, blue -robed Virgin Mary statue.

The statue or the pilgrimage back to the miraculous rescue of a Christian convert the Guarani Indian on the run from his pagan persecutors end of the 16th century. After Maria called for help, he managed to successfully hide behind a bush. From the term ka'aguy kupe or ka'akupe ( guaraní for " behind the bush " or " behind the herb" ) is derived from the place name. In gratitude for his rescue, he made two statues of Mary, one for the Church of Tobatí, the second, somewhat smaller, for himself latter is now in the Cathedral of Caacupé. The highlight of the pilgrimage is a great torchlight procession in the evening.