The Wooden Saints

The purpose of this website is to familiarize the public with the ancient and historic Puerto Rican tradition of carving images of patron saints from woods native to Puerto Rico.

For centuries, images of saints carved in wood served to represent miraculous saints whom believers would petition, hoping for intercession on their behalf before God. Worshippers offer the saints a “promise” to be repaid once their supplications were answered. The promises, or promesas, consisted of performing public demonstrations of their gratitude: demonstrations such as a celebration of the saint's day,
dressing in habit for a period of time, praying the rosary or celebrating a rosario cantado, or rosary-singing ceremony. Promises made to the Maggi, or Three Kings--called las Promesas de Reyes--are an example of promises that are observed in Puerto Rico to this day, especially in the
countryside, and particularly on the day of Epiphany, the sixth of June. For more information, please visit:  www.santosdepr.org