Capilla del Cristo

Chapel of the Christ
Capilla del Santo Cristo de la Salud
Photograph of the Capilla del Cristo, at the end of a cobblestone street
Capilla del Cristo at end of cobblestone street
Map
Alternative namesCapilla del Cristo
General information
Architectural styleBaroque
Town or cityOld San Juan
Coordinates18°27′50.7″N 66°07′03.9″W / 18.464083°N 66.117750°W / 18.464083; -66.117750
Construction started1753
Estimated completion1780
OwnerCatholic Church[1]
Technical details
MaterialMasonry
Floor count1
Design and construction
EngineerJuan Francisco Mestre[2]
Known forFolklore, historic architecture
Capilla del Cristo
Part ofOld San Juan Historic District (ID72001553)
Designated NHLDCPOctober 10, 1972

Capilla del Cristo (Chapel of Christ), also called Capilla del Santo Cristo de la Salud is a small chapel / museum located in the Old San Juan, Puerto Rico.[3] Built in the 18th century and saved from demolition in the 20th century and preserved, the structure has become a cultural icon of Puerto Rico. Most of the articles located at its altar are from 1753.[4][1] Travel guides list Capilla del Cristo as one of the must-see places of Old San Juan.[5][6][7][8]

Cultural significance

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Altar of Capilla del Cristo, photograph by Carol M. Highsmith

The chapel with its belfry is located at the end of Calle del Cristo, a pedestrian walkway in the Old San Juan Historic District in the western section of San Juan Islet.[9][10] Images of the chapel's facade are quite popular, and sometimes featured on the covers of Puerto Rican travel guides as well as on canvas prints, posters, and mug souvenirs.[11][12][13]

Inside the chapel are paintings by Jose Campeche and a painting by Jorge Sen called El Milagro (English: The Miracle). Its altar is made of silver and gold.

The St. Juan and St. Peter races, (Las carreras de S. Juan y S. Pedro) is an annual festival that's taken place on Cristo Street near Capilla del Cristo since before the mid 19th century.[14][15]

Location

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Capilla del Cristo is located at the end of Calle del Cristo in the Historic District of Old San Juan near La Fortaleza, the official residence of the governor of Puerto Rico.

Architecture

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The basic structure of the small temple is mampostería ordinaria or stones held together by mortar or cement. It's a one-story-high, brick and stone structure with a curved belfry atop. Its gate was added in the 1940s for the protection of its interior. It has three oversized arches which open up to the Parque de Palomas, Tetuan Street, and Calle de Cristo de la Salud (street). Built in the Spanish Baroque style, Extremaduran Juan Francisco Mestre was the author of its design.[1] The building has been kept in good condition by the volunteer group Cristo de la Salud Brotherhood.

Folklore

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Religious folklore, particularly among Catholics, said that during a horse race on La Calle de Cristo, a young rider and his horse took a bad fall. The rider went over the precipice but was miraculously saved.[1]

The chapel was built where the fateful race was said to have occurred in honor of the young rider named Baltazar Montañez.[16] It has become both a tourist attraction as well as a stop for religious pilgrims, who occasionally leave a religious votive at the chapel. It is only open on Tuesdays.[17]

Different versions of the legend mention that either the rider or Tomas Mateo Pratts, an observer yelled for divine intervention.[4][18] In a book about Puerto Rican legends, José Ramirez-Rivera writes that the horse was killed but Baltazar lived. Afterwards, permission was granted to build the Catholic chapel and festivals were held for years afterward to celebrate the miracle.[19]

In his writings about Baltazar, Puerto Rican historian Cayetano Coll y Toste described him as a slave who worked in the sugar cane fields of Puerto Rico but made no mention of the legendary accident.[20][21][22]

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  • Capilla del Cristo in 1915. Printed in Germany.
    Capilla del Cristo in 1915. Printed in Germany.
  • Capilla del Cristo de la Salud in 2019
    Capilla del Cristo de la Salud in 2019
  • Men sitting at table in front of the chapel
    Men sitting at table in front of the chapel
  • Facade of chapel
    Facade of chapel
  • Silver altar inside the chapel
    Silver altar inside the chapel
  • Historic American Buildings surveyed in 1933, photograph of Capilla del Cristo at Calle del Cristo and Tetuan Streets in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico filed in the Library of Congress archives
    Historic American Buildings surveyed in 1933, photograph of Capilla del Cristo at Calle del Cristo and Tetuan Streets in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico filed in the Library of Congress archives
  • Bell tower
    Bell tower
  • At the other end of Calle del Cristo
    At the other end of Calle del Cristo

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d Pabón-Charneco, Arleen; de la Vega, Caridad; Jacobs, James A. (September 7, 2012). de la Vega, Caridad; Jacobs, James A. (eds.). "National Historic Landmark Nomination: Old San Juan Historic District/Distrito Histórico del Viejo San Juan" (PDF). National Park Service. National Historic Landmarks Program. pp. 116–117. Retrieved September 23, 2024.
  2. ^ Pabon-Charneco, A. (2016). The Architecture of San Juan de Puerto Rico: Five centuries of urban and architectural experimentation. Routledge Research in Architecture. Taylor & Francis. p. 68. ISBN 978-1-317-42359-1. Retrieved July 31, 2019.
  3. ^ Van Atten, S. (2015). Moon San Juan, Vieques & Culebra. Moon Handbooks. Avalon Publishing. p. 60. ISBN 978-1-63121-228-4. Retrieved July 31, 2019.
  4. ^ a b "Capilla del Cristo: ícono de los puertorriqueños". Revista Construcción / El Nuevo Día (in Spanish).
  5. ^ "Capilla de Cristo in San Juan - Attraction | Frommer's". www.frommers.com.
  6. ^ "Capilla del Cristo San Juan Review". Fodor's Travel.
  7. ^ "Capilla del Cristo | San Juan & Around, Puerto Rico Attractions". www.lonelyplanet.com.
  8. ^ "San Juan: a delight for your senses". Iberia.com.
  9. ^ "5. Historic American Buildings Survey. - Capilla del Cristo, Cristo & Tetuan Streets, San Juan, San Juan Municipio, PR". www.loc.gov.
  10. ^ "Capilla del Santo Cristo de la Salud, San Juan". www.callejeandopr.com.
  11. ^ "Capilla del Cristo". Getty Images.
  12. ^ "Puerto Rico San Juan Capilla del Cristo Stretched Canvas - Miva Stock DanitaDelimont (26 x 20)". Walmart.com.
  13. ^ "Buy Danita Delimont - Puerto Rico - Puerto Rico, San Juan, Capilla del Cristo". alibaba.
  14. ^ Manuel Antonio, Alonso Pacheco (1849). El Gíbaro (in Spanish). Wikisource: Juan Oliveres, Impresor de S. M. pp. 167–174. Retrieved 16 November 2022. El estar en la calle del Cristo, una de las mas favorecidas por los corredores, el tener á su frente una plaza, y el ser un lugar espacioso, de poca elevacion y seguro por estar murallado, dan á este sitio la preferencia...
  15. ^ El Cancionero de Borinquen: Composiciones originales en prosa y verso (in Spanish). Martin Carl. 1846. pp. 53–62. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
  16. ^ "Capilla del Cristo-San Juan Puerto Rico--datos del interior y fotos". www.prfrogui.com.
  17. ^ Spencer, Luke. "Capilla del Santo Cristo". Atlas Obscura.
  18. ^ Santos, Mariela. "A Walking Tour of Old San Juan's Architectural Treasures". Culture Trip.
  19. ^ Ramírez-Rivera, José; Coll y Toste, Cayetano (July 31, 1979). "Selección de Leyendas puertorriqueñas". Mayagüez, P.R. : Ediciones Libero – via Internet Archive.
  20. ^ Halloran, V.N.; American Literatures Initiative (2009). Exhibiting Slavery: The Caribbean Postmodern Novel as Museum. New World Studies Imprint: ALI. University of Virginia Press. p. 25. ISBN 978-0-8139-2865-4. Retrieved July 30, 2019.
  21. ^ "Capilla del Santo Cristo de la Salud". Discover Puerto Rico.
  22. ^ Deane, Z. (2011). Explorer's Guide San Juan, Vieques & Culebra: A Great Destination (Second Edition) (Explorer's Great Destinations). Explorer's Great Destinations. Countryman Press. p. 228. ISBN 978-1-58157-135-6. Retrieved July 31, 2019.
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