la Rogativa ... Remembering a procession in Old San Juan.

In San Juan, Puerto Rico's Plazuela de la Rogativa, a striking bronze sculpture, "la Rogativa", overlooks the bay.  

In 1797, according to legend, a British fleet blockaded the San Juan Bay to gain control of the city.  Recognizing that a defense could not be quickly established, a Catholic bishop organized an evening prayer procession to ask for divine intervention.  Led by the bishop, many women carried torches and candles and sang hymns as they marched through the streets throughout the night.  The British commander mistook the seemingly endless parade of torches as the arrival of San Juan's military reinforcements.  Thinking they were greatly outnumbered, the Brits hoisted the sails and slipped from the bay at dawn.

Erected in 1971, the beautiful "la Rogativa" sculpture overlooks San Juan Bay and pays tribute to the townspeople and their bishop for taking the initiative to save San Juan.