- El Viejo
El Viejo is a
municipality in the Chinandega department ofNicaragua . El Viejo is a small city near the city ofChinandega , noted for its particular gastronomic specialties, which include "rosquillas" (a type of doughnut), "cajetas" (a type ofdulce de leche ), "bollitos de leche" (a kind of scone), and a fruit particular to the region called thetoncua , which is related to thepapaya and is eaten withhoney .El Viejo is also the site of a colonial-era church, the Basilica of the
Immaculate Conception of Mary in El Viejo ("Basílica Inmaculada Concepción de María en El Viejo"), built in the17th century . The church was elevated to the status of national religious sanctuary on October 8, 1995, and was declared a minor basilica on February 7, 2006 byPope John Paul II , during his second visit to Nicaragua.The basilica possesses a
baptismal font dating from 1560, and also possesses a little statue of theVirgin Mary . Tradition states that Fray Pedro de Zepeda y Ahumada, brother ofTeresa of Avila , traveling toEl Realejo with the image, was forced to go to El Viejo due to a storm. The people of El Viejo were so taken by it that they wished for the image to stay in their town. However, Zepeda y Ahumada set off once more for El Realejo, but a second storm forced him back to El Viejo. Thus, he decided that this was a sign of divine intervention and left the image in El Viejo.On December 6 of every year, the silver that is part of the little statue is washed before congregants in a ceremony called the "lavado de la plata".
The city is twinned with
Norwich in theUnited Kingdom .External links
* [http://www.norwich.gov.uk/site_files/pages/City_Visitors__Twinning_Links__El_Viejo_Nicaragua.html Norwich Council page on twinning with El Viejo]
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