Chile Guide
Santiago
Templo de San Agustín
Address: Corner of Agustinas and Estado
It's hard to miss the green walls and yellow columns of the Templo de San Agustín, dating from 1608 but extensively rebuilt since then. The chief interest within its highly decorative interior is the wooden carving of Christ, just left of the main altar as you face it. Known as the Cristo de Mayo, it's the subject of an intriguing local legend. The story goes that the crown of thorns around the figure's head slipped down to its neck during the 1647 earthquake, and that when someone tried to move the crown back up to its head, the carved face of Christ began to bleed, and the ground started to shake. For this reason, the crown has remained untouched ever since, still hanging around the neck.