Chapel of Santo Cristo de la Salud

The historic Calle del Cristo was the first street to be paved with cobbles in San Juan, and it’s now the main drag for tourists. The route kicks off at the tiny Capilla del Santo Cristo de la Salud—an 18th century chapel built to honour the site of a supposed miracle. Legend has it that the Chapel of Cristo de la Salud was built in honor of a miracle. It is said that around the year 1750, a horse race was held in the Calle del Cristo and one of the participants of the race could not stop his horse and fell down the cliff.a legend says that the Chapel of the Cristo de la Salud was built in honor of a miracle. It is said that around the year 1750, a horse race was held in the Calle del Cristo and one of the participants of the race could not stop his horse falling down the cliff.Whatever the true story is, the important thing is that we have a simple monument of small dimensions, but very beautiful, a real jewel. It is one of the most important patrimonies of Puerto Rico, built in 1753 by the military engineer-architect Francisco Mestre.Originally it presented terracotta and white colors in the ornamentation of its friezes and arches.The chapel includes a vaulted niche, a small sacristy and a portico with arcades. It is built in brick and masonry on the south wall of the city, which shows its importance, since it was the exception to the rule that prohibited building on the defensive walls.