Cristo de la Expiración, Cartagena

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Christ of Expiration is a 17th‑century wooden statue of Jesus on the cross, kept in the Convento de Santo Domingo in Cartagena, Colombia. The convent also holds precious sacred objects, including this image.

In 1754, a smallpox outbreak was said to end after nine days of prayer to this Christ, making it especially dear to the people of Cartagena.

A popular legend explains its origin: novice monks found a piece of wood on the sea and asked a wandering carver to shape it into Christ. The carver said the log was too short, so they left it at sea. Later they found the same log had grown long enough, and the artist began carving in secret, asking not to be interrupted. After a while the workers heard nothing, and when they entered the room they found the finished image with no sign of the carver. Some say an angel helped create it.

The statue was placed on a Baroque altar made in 1807 by the Cartagena artist Hermenegildo José de Ayala. Devotion to the Cristo de la Expiración is shown through prayers, songs, and pilgrimages. Every year on September 14, a large procession begins at Santo Domingo and winds through the Historic Center of Cartagena.