The "Chapel Of The Pigeons" Story

The pigeons that roost at the Cristo Chapel.

It was an ordinary day.  Trying to make my way through what appears to be about a couple hundred or more pigeons.  My goal is to reach what is known as the Capilla del Cristo or  more commonly known as the Cristo Chapel located in the city known as Old San Juan, Puerto Rico.  I must admit that when I rounded the corner at the bottom of the street and saw the chapel for the first time, I was disappointed.  It had just stopped raining and the cobblestone street leading to the chapel was wet and glistened in the sun which appeared from behind the clouds.  On each side of the cobblestone street were pigeons of varying colors, all wet and huddled together. 

The beautiful Cristo Chapel in Old San Juan.

Wasn’t sure if I should try and make my way through the flock of birds which didn’t seem to be afraid of my approaching them.  I managed to wind my way through the motley looking crew to the chapel which was encased in a screened area.  The chapel was built in the 18th centrury and came about because of a miracle which happened at the location.  Seems a young horseman lost control of his horse while racing another rider up the hill during the fiesta of St. John's Day and plunged off the cliff.  One version says the chapel was built to block off the street to prevent the same from happening again while another version says that the secretary of the city, Dom Mateo Pratts, was so moved by the accident that he invoked Christ to save the youth and the chapel was built to commemorate the miracle of his living. 

The pigeons dominate the chapel's arches.

The exterior of the small Chapel is beautiful, but my biggest disappoint- ment came about when I found it was not Tuesday, the only day the Chapel is open to the public.  I didn’t get a chance to see the gold and silver altar and the Campeche paintings that adorn the interior of the small chapel.  But, I did get to see the multitude of pigeons waiting in line to greet the Lord next Tuesday.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.