La Rogativa

La Rogativa is just n. of the San Juan Gate on Calle Recinto del Oeste. This striking statue, commissioned for San Juan's 450th anniversary, pays homage to a celebrated legend. During the British siege by Sir Ralph Abercromby's troops in 1797, it is said that the local bishop led his parishioners in a prayer procession through the streets. The enemy, seeing the line of torches, thought Spanish reinforcements had arrived—and fled. The Plazuela de la Rogativa, a little plaza atop the city wall, offers a bird's-eye view of the western harbor and the Paseo del Morro.