The Sanctuario de Sto. Cristo and its adjacent convent were built in 1602-1604 by the Dominican Fathers of the Holy Rosary Province on a site donated by Captain Julian de Cuenca. Before the Sto. Cristo was enthroned, St. John the Baptist was the titular of the church. Hence the name of San Juan given to the town built around the Sanctuario. Both the building were burned during the Chinese uprising of 1639. Reconstructed again in 1639, they were set on fire in July 1763 during the British occupation of Manila and were rebuilt anew in 1774.