Spotlight: Puerto Rico - Calle de Cristo

Spotlight: Calle de Cristo was originally called Santa Catalina. It's name was changed after an extraordinary event that occurred in the 1700's. Details of the miracle vary dramatically from one account to another, but according to the legend, during the San Juan Bautista celebrations, a young man named Baltazar Montanez lost control of his horse, and they plunged over the wall at the end of the street into the gorge below. The Spanish Secretary of Government, Don Mateo Pratts, was then heard to exclaim, "Christ of Good Health, save him." Most accounts claim that although the horse died, the young man was miraculously saved. In 1753, the Capilla del Santo Cristo de la Salud was built in honor of this event, and has been preserved in much the same state. It is cared for by volunteers from "La Hermandad del Santo Cristo de la Salud," and visitors come from all over the world to offer tiny silver ornaments representing some ailing part of the body in hopes that their offering will bring about a cure.

Capilla de Cristo 

Catedral San Juan Bautista

     Further up the blue cobblestone street is located Catedral San Juan Bautista. The cathedral is the second oldest cathedral in the Americas. It became home to the first Catholic diocese in the Americas, under the authority of Bishop Don Alonso Manso in 1511. Originally constructed of wood in 1521, the structure was destroyed by a hurricane and rebuilt in 1540. The cathedral hosts the tomb of Juan Ponce de Leon, a Spanish explorer who was named the first governor of Puerto Rico. Right next to Ponce de Leon's tomb is a coffin containing the waxed mummified remains of Saint Pius, a first century Christian martyr whose remains were a gift by the Pope to one of the bishops of Puerto Rico. The cathedral has many other relics including a shrine to Carlos Manuel Rodriguez Santiago, the first Puerto Rican to be beatified.

Tomb of Ponce de Leon

Carlos Manuel Rodriguez Santiago

Saint Pius

Location: Calle de Cristo is located on the western end of the island of Old San Juan. Catedral San Juan Bautista is located at 151 Calle de Cristo. The Capilla del Santo Cristo de la Salud is located at the southern end of Calle de Cristo.

Cost: Both Catedral San Juan Bautista and the Capilla del Santo Cristo de la Salud are free.

Time: The Capilla de Cristo is only open on Tuesdays and religious days. It is small and it will take less than 15 minutes to explore it fully. La Catedral San Juan Bautista is open to visitors between 8:30 am & 4:00 pm. You should plan on about an hour to explore the cathedral.

Description: We arrived in Puerto Rico on the Friday before Easter to celebrate our 20th anniversary. We were traveling with some friends who were also celebrating their 20th anniversary, and had booked a Caribbean Cruise that was scheduled to leave on Saturday evening. I had always wanted to visit Puerto Rico since I teach about it in school; so we made sure to arrive early Friday morning to give ourselves almost two full days to explore Viejo San Juan. As we were walking through the streets, we noticed a large throng of people parading down Calle de Cristo. After listening to a narrator talking over a loud-speaker in Spanish, I realized that we were catching the tail end of a Tenebrae procession. We asked a few questions and found out that the procession would arrive at the cathedral at about sunset, and made sure we were there to see it. My students were back home watching a video on a Semana Santa (Holy Week) celebration in Mexico, while I was witnessing the Puerto Rican version in the flesh.

Tenebrae procession

     Semana Santa, or Holy Week, is probably the most important holiday in most Spanish-speaking countries, including Puerto Rico. It goes from Palm Sunday to Easter morning. On Viernes Santo, or Good Friday, San Juan Bautista Cathedral hosts a Tenebrae celebration reenacting portions of the Passion of Christ. This includes a procession through the streets of San Juan in which actors are dressed up as various participants (Roman soldiers, mourners, the robbers, and of course Christ) in the drama. The procession ends at the cathedral, where they reenact the crucifixion of Christ. The experience can be very moving and attracts thousands of visitors.

Passion of Christ cast

Rating: 3 1/2 stars (out of 5)

Things You Should Know: - San Juan Bautista Cathedral holds services on Saturdays (7pm), Sundays (9am & 11am), and weekdays (7:25 am & 12:15 pm). Capilla de Cristo has no active congregation.
- A Misa de Gallo is held every Dec. 24th just before midnight, in which portions of the Nativity are reenacted.
- If you view the Passion play with young children, you might want to prepare them ahead of time, stressing that they are actors and that the blood if fake. Otherwise it may be a traumatic experience.

Nearby: Parque de las Palomas, Plaza de Armas, Puerta de San Juan, Casa Blanca