Baby Boomer Traveling: No Place to Linger

This was not a place to linger and reflect. It was hot inside, stifling actually as there was no air conditioning. The windows were all closed up, and the fans which had been positioned on support columns through out the interior were also off. So there was no air movement at all. Our first stop was the Catedral de San Juan Bautista or Cathedral of St. John the Baptist. I had on previous tours through Viejo San Juan gone up to several chapels and churches only to find all of them were chained and locked up tight.

Apparently the churches and cathedrals are only open on Sundays. So if you are interested in seeing these historic locations then hopefully you will be staying over on Sunday which will allow you time to visit these little gems. If not the best you will be able to accomplish is a picture of an historic or informational marker and the outside of the building only. In one case that is exactly what I did.

However as luck would have it we were in San Juan on Sunday and I was able to see two very different examples of churches in old San Juan. The first was the Cathedral, and dates from 1521. The Cathedral if you venture inside and can stand the heat is home to two tombs worth noting. The first is the tomb of Juan Ponce de Leon, as in the infamous seeker of the fountain of youth. And the second one is of the first layperson, the first Caribbean born and the first Puerto Rican born individual to have been made a saint by the Catholic church. His name is Carlos Manuel Rodriguez Santiago.

Just inside the only open door to the Cathedral there was a small table placed with a lady stationed as an attendant. Various memorabilia and historical information was available as well as prayer cards. I asked the attendant if the church had a/c and she said no, there was none. My only thought was that I hoped the sermon on Sundays was short.

There is also a lovely (average price per night $200 and up) hotel located across the street from the Cathedral, called Il Convento. It derives its name from the fact that the building was originally a convent for the nuns who lived in San Juan and worked at the Cathedral and the school. The school was founded by a Bishop in 1512, and is still part of the Catholic Schools of Puerto Rico.

The second church that we were able to visit, we spotted as we were walking away from San Juan de Bautista. It is at the end of Calle de Cristo high up above the city walls, is located next to Parque de las Palomas. It is to say the least tiny, but don't let that deter you as it has a wealth of treasure inside. Legend has it that it was built to commemorate a miracle that occurred on that spot.

When Viejo San Juan was young, horse races used to be run on Calle de Cristo by the men of the city on the feast day of San Juan after church services at the Cathedral. One such Sunday, a young man was riding his horse in the race and lost control of his steed. Knowing that the wall was straight ahead and that both he and his mount would plunge to their deaths if he could not make the turn down Calle San Francisco, the young man prayed that he would be saved from what would have been certain death on the rocks down below. As he rapidly approached the walls of the city, he still had not been able to regain control of his horse, so both plunged over the walls to the rocks and water below. However, the young man's life was saved and he & his father declared this to be a miracle. The family decided at that point to build a Capilla or Chapel to commemorate the miracle of the young man's life being saved. Thus was born Capilla de Cristo or Christ the Savior Chapel.

The Chapel itself is built of stone and is topped by a bell tower with an intricately worked wrought iron cross topping off the small tower. Inside is a small entry area and straight ahead no more than six feet in front of you is the Alter area. The Alter in Capilla de Cristo takes up almost the entire width of the Chapel. It is made of silver, pure silver hundreds of years old, derived from the small milagros (charms) and intricately worked with carvings, embossing and open work. On top of the Alter are two vases that were filled with fresh flowers on the Sunday when we visited, a chalice for communion, a cross and a large book stand for the Bible. All of which were also made of silver with the same embossing, piercing and hammered designs.

Above the Alter are a number of paintings that were commissioned for Capilla de Cristo at the time it was built and mounted directly to the back wall. Then frames were made to surround the paintings and all of the frames and back wall were then overlaid with gold gilding. It is jaw dropping lovely, priceless and gives an overwhelming sense of peace when you enter. I heartily recommend that if the Chapel is open you make a point of stopping by. It is well worth the few minutes that you will spend gaping at the treasures inside.

Once you step outside, to your left is the Parque de las Palomas or Dove Park. Another peaceful, serene place to just sit and relax a moment before you head back out exploring or shopping on Calle de Cristo.

The statue of Columbus in the Plaza de
Colon in Viejo San Juan.

Catedral de San Juan Bautista

Originally part of the church property,
this tile mural was on the 2nd floor of a
building next door to the Cathedral.

The interior of the Cathedral of St.
John the Baptist.

Tomb of the Carlos Manuel Rodriguez
Santiago, first layperson saint.

One of the stained glass windows of
San Juan de Bautista.

A detail of the ceiling medallions and
frescos in the Cathedral.

The ceiling of San Juan Bautista showing
the frescos, moldings and gold leaf.

A side alter in San Juan Bautista.

The view from Calle de Cristo of the
little chapel.

He posed for me.

They are so tame, the doves in Parque de Las Palomas, that
you can come up close with a camera or without and they
do not fly away.

Some of the many doves in the park. There were so many
more in the trees of the park besides these on the ground.

It is illegal to feed the doves in the park. However there
were lots of berries of some kind on the ground probably
from the trees.

The informational marker outside of Capilla del Cristo.

The view from Capilla del Santo Cristo de la Salud. The
foundations of the chapel are built on the walls of the city.

Inside the Chapel, this shows the silver
work of the alter, the box where the host
is kept, the paintings and some of the
gold leafing on the wall behind.

I added this picture so you could see for yourself the size
of the alter. The kneelers in front give you an idea of the
scope of the works that went into this little chapel.