Immaculate Conception of El Viejo

Last updated
The Immaculate Conception of El Viejo
La Purisima - La Chinita
Virgen del Trono.jpg
The canonically crowned image enshrined within Minor Basilica of El Viejo
Location El Viejo, Nicaragua
Date16th century
Approval Pope John Paul II
Pope Benedict XVI
ShrineMinor Basilica of the Immaculate Conception of El Viejo
PatronageNicaragua (Episcopal Conference)

The Immaculate Conception of El Viejo informally known as La Purisima or La Chinita is a title of the Blessed Virgin Mary associated with a carved wooden image venerated by the Roman Catholic Nicaraguan faithful who believe it to be miraculous.

Contents

The image is widely known among Nicaraguan Catholics who trace the image's origins with the former ownership of Saint Teresa of Avila and was brought by her brother Rodrigo Ahumada to their land in the mid-16th century.

History

The image measures at 42 centimeters and is believed to be brought to Nicaragua by Rodrigo Ahumada, the brother of Saint Teresa of Avila which pious legends claim ownership prior to the arrival in the country. The image is believed to have a final destination in Peru, but a storm ravaged their galleon ship. The natives in the area venerated the Marian image resulting in the donation to the present shrine, which is believed to be by divine appointment. In 1737, a solemn coronation by the townspeople was granted to the image. [1]

A letter of 1673 cites a document of 5 January 1626 according to which the statue was given by Saint Teresa of Avila to her brother, who brought it to where it now is and died there. Another document, drawn up in 1751 after a visit to the settlement of El Viejo, where the statue is kept, and citing the 1673 letter, states that the name "Nuestra Señora del Viejo" was a reference to Saint Teresa's brother, who was then an old man ("viejo" being Spanish for "old"). It describes the statue and its adornment, including a crown. A traditional story is that the statue was brought by an old hermit who, when the ship he was travelling on refused to leave the harbour, explained that the statue wished to remain there. A Carmelite report of 1786 recorded the tradition that the statue was a gift of Saint Teresa to her brother or uncle, who was governor of the locality, and that, when he attempted to take the statue with him when transferred to another governorship, storms repeatedly drove his ship back, so that he left the statue there. [2] Another source gives the name of Saint Teresa's brother as Don Lorenzo de Cepeda and repeats the story of the storm forcing him to leave the statue in what was then called Chamulpa and is now El Viejo. [3]

The solemn liturgical crowning of the statue by the natives took place in 1747. The papal bull of 28 December 1988 granted her the right to wear a Pontifical crown by Pope John Paul II, who also raised her sanctuary to the status of Minor Basilica on 20 December 1995. [4]

Pontifical approbations

Religious iconography

The image is a traditional image of the Immaculate Conception, vested in precious fabrics and embroidered French bullion. The blue and white vestments of the Virgin are closely tied to the national flag of Nicaragua, while silver adornments are also part of her ensemble, a common precious metal found abundant in the area.

Feast and veneration

The feast of the Marian image is celebrated on December 8, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. Various cultural festivities are associated with the image, such as the following:

Notes

    Related Research Articles

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Our Lady of China</span> Chinese Catholic title for the Virgin Mary

    Our Lady of China, the Great Mother, also known as Our Lady of Donglü, is a Roman Catholic title of the Blessed Virgin Mary associated with a reputed Marian apparition in Donglü, China in 1900.

    El Viejo is a city and a municipality in the Chinandega department of Nicaragua.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Our Lady of Aparecida</span> Patroness of Brazil

    Our Lady of Aparecida, is a title of the Blessed Virgin Mary associated with the Immaculate Conception.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Our Lady of Lourdes</span> A title of Mary, mother of Jesus

    Our Lady of Lourdes is a title of the Virgin Mary. She is venerated under this title by the Roman Catholic Church due to her apparitions that occurred in Lourdes, France. The first apparition of 11 February 1858, of which Bernadette Soubirous told her mother that a "Lady" spoke to her in the cave of Massabielle while she was gathering firewood with her sister and a friend. Similar apparitions of the "Lady" were reported on 18 occasions that year, until the climax revelation in which she introduced herself as: "the Immaculate Conception". On 18 January 1862, the local Bishop of Tarbes Bertrand-Sévère Laurence endorsed the veneration of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Lourdes.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Chapel of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal</span> Catholic shrine in Paris, France

    The Chapel of Graces of the Miraculous Virgin or informally the Chapel of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal, is a Marian shrine located in Paris, France.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Our Lady of San Juan de los Lagos</span> Roman Catholic title of the Virgin Mary in Jalisco, Mexico

    Our Lady of San Juan de los Lagos is a Roman Catholic title of the Blessed Virgin Mary venerated by Mexican and Texan faithful. The original image is a popular focus for pilgrims and is located in the state of Jalisco, in central Mexico, 122 kilometers (76 mi) northeast of the city of Guadalajara. The statue is venerated both in Mexico and in the United States where it is known by its proxy title Nuestra Señora de San Juan del Valle, mainly focused in Texas.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Titles of Mary, mother of Jesus</span> Descriptive names for Mary, mother of Jesus

    Mary, the mother of Jesus in Christianity, is known by many different titles, epithets, invocations, and several names associated with places.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Mariology of the popes</span> Papal influence on Marian theology and devotion

    The Mariology of the popes is the theological study of the influence that the popes have had on the development, formulation and transformation of the Roman Catholic Church's doctrines and devotions relating to the Blessed Virgin Mary.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Mary Help of Christians</span> Title of the Virgin Mary

    Mary, the Help of Christians is a Catholic title of the Blessed Virgin Mary, based on a devotion now associated with a feast day of the General Roman Calendar on 24 May.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Marian art in the Catholic Church</span> Iconographic depiction of Virgin Mary in Catholic Churches

    Mary has been one of the major subjects of Western art for centuries. There is an enormous quantity of Marian art in the Catholic Church, covering both devotional subjects such as the Virgin and Child and a range of narrative subjects from the Life of the Virgin, often arranged in cycles. Most medieval painters, and from the Reformation to about 1800 most from Catholic countries, have produced works, including old masters such as Michelangelo and Botticelli.

    Our Lady of Charity is a celebrated Marian title of the Blessed Virgin Mary venerated in many Catholic countries.

    <i>Our Lady of Šiluva</i> Venerated Catholic icon

    Our Lady of Šiluva is Roman Catholic image of the Blessed Virgin Mary venerated at the Basilica of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Šiluva shrine in Lithuania. The patriotic icon is highly venerated in Lithuania and is often called Lithuania's greatest treasure.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Our Lady of Guidance</span> Sworn Patroness of Manila

    The Our Lady of Guidance is a 16th-century image of the Blessed Virgin Mary depicted as the Immaculate Conception and widely venerated by Filipinos. The wooden Black Madonna is considered the oldest extant Marian statue in the Philippines. Locally venerated as patroness of navigators and travelers, the image is enshrined at the Ermita Church in the city of Manila.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage</span> Image of Mary, mother of Jesus

    Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage, also known as Our Lady of Antipolo and the Virgin of Antipolo, is a seventeenth-century Roman Catholic wooden image of the Blessed Virgin Mary as venerated in the Philippines. This Black Madonna is enshrined in Antipolo Cathedral in the Sierra Madre mountains east of Metro Manila.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Patronages of the Immaculate Conception</span>

    In the Catholic Church, several locations around the world invoke the patronage of the Immaculate Conception. Catholic diocesan authorities with the expressed and written approval of the Pope in countries including the United States, Brazil, Korea, the Philippines and Spain designate the Blessed Virgin Mary as their principal patroness.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Our Lady of Lourdes Shrine, Villianur</span> Church in Puducherry, India

    Our Lady of Lourdes Shrine is a Catholic Marian shrine and a parish church in Villianur, Puducherry, India. The shrine is dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary under the title of Our Lady of Lourdes.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Our Lady of the Pillar of Imus</span> Patroness of the Diocese of Imus and Imus, Cavite

    Our Lady of the Pillar of Imus is a Roman Catholic Marian title of the Blessed Virgin Mary and venerated Marian image of the Madonna and Child atop of a pillar. The town of Imus in the province of Cavite and the Diocese of Imus, considers her as its patroness.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Immaculate Conception Parish Church (Santa Maria)</span> Roman Catholic church in Bulacan, Philippines

    The Minor Basilica and Parish of La Purísima Concepción, locally known as Santa Maria Church, is a Roman Catholic Minor Basilica in Santa Maria, Bulacan, Philippines. The shrine is dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary of the Immaculate Conception. The church is the seat of the Episcopal Vicar of the Eastern District of the Diocese of Malolos.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Our Lady of Arabia</span>

    Our Lady of Arabia is a Catholic title of the Blessed Virgin Mary holding a Rosary and the Child Jesus, as venerated in Kuwait and Bahrain by its faithful devotees. Under this venerated Marian title, she is designated as the patroness of the Apostolic Vicariates of Northern and Southern Arabia.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Our Lady of Consolation</span> Catholic title of the Virgin Mary

    Our Lady of Consolation or Mary, Comforter of the Afflicted is a title of the Blessed Virgin Mary venerated in the Catholic Church.

    References

    1. "Marian Titles in the popular religiosity of Latin America". Archived from the original on 2015-09-10. Retrieved 31 January 2023.
    2. "Inmaculada del Viejo". Corazones.org. Retrieved 2014-02-27.
    3. "Nuestra Seńora De La Concepción De El Viejo". Webcatolicodejavier.org. Retrieved 2014-02-27.
    4. Proceedings of John Paul II (2 January 1996). "Acta Apostolicae Sedis: COMMENTARIUM OFFICIALE" (PDF) (in Latin). Vatican. p. 239.