Ermita de San Juan o del Santo Cristo de los Remedios

The Hermitage of San Juan or Santo Cristo de los Remedios is an urban hermitage located in Briones, in La Rioja, integrated in the historic center of the municipality and associated with the local devotion to the Cristo de los Remedios. It is a temple of centralized plant, with octagonal traces inscribed in a rectangle, which gives it a unique architectural solution within the religious heritage of La Rioja. The current construction dates from between 1737 and 1748 and is attributed to the master builder Juan Bautista Arbaizar, with the collaboration of Ignacio de Elejalde. Due to its chronology and altarpieces, the building responds to the language of the 18th century, with the presence of Baroque elements and Rococo altarpieces in the chancel. The exterior stands out for its curved volumes, the cylindrical buttresses and the lintel doorway with mixtilinear moldings between Corinthian columns. The large central dome and the belfry that crowns the complex also stand out, features that reinforce its monumental character despite its reduced scale. The hermitage rises on the old church or hermitage of San Juan Bautista, whose titular image is conserved in the facade by means of a niche. Inside there are documented altarpieces, paintings and carvings of the period, as well as the seasonal cult of the Cristo de los Remedios, deeply rooted in the religious celebrations of Briones.