Capitolio Nacional (or National Capitol) is a building on Bolivar Square in central

Bogotá Bogotá (, also , , ), officially Bogotá, Distrito Capital, abbreviated Bogotá, D.C., and formerly known as Santa Fe de Bogotá (; ) during the Spanish period and between 1991 and 2000, is the capital city of Colombia, and one of the larges ...

, the construction of which began in 1848 and was finished in 1926. It houses both houses of the

Congress of Colombia The Congress of the Republic of Colombia ( es, Congreso de la República de Colombia) is the name given to Colombia's bicameral national legislature. The Congress of Colombia consists of the 108-seat Senate, and the 188-seat Chamber of Repre ...

. It was designed by Thomas Reed.

Murals

In 1938,

Ignacio Gómez Jaramillo Ignacio Gomez Jaramillo ( Medellín, 30 December 1910 - Coveñas, 12 July 1970) was a Colombian painter, drawer, and muralist. Gomez Jaramillo was one of Colombia's most important artists of the 20th century. He was part of the Colombian Muralist M ...

painted two murals for the Capitolio Nacional in

. In 1947 for the Inter American Conference,

Santiago Martínez Delgado Santiago Martínez Delgado (1906–1954) was a Colombian painter, sculptor, art historian and writer. He established a reputation as a prominent muralist during the 1940s and is also known for his watercolors, oil paintings, illustrations and w ...

painted a majestic mural under commission of the then director of the OEA,

Alberto Lleras Camargo Alberto Lleras Camargo (3 July 1906 – 4 January 1990) was the 20th President of Colombia (1958–1962), and the 1st Secretary General of the Organization of American States (1948–1954). A journalist and liberal party politician, he also se ...

and Conference organizer

Laureano Gómez Laureano Eleuterio Gómez Castro (20 February 1889 – 13 July 1965) was a Colombian politician and civil engineer who served as the 18th President of Colombia from 1950 to 1953. In November 1951 poor health led him to cede presidential powe ...

, two men who later became Presidents of Colombia. This mural of the Elliptic chamber National Congress Building, made in the

fresco Fresco (plural ''frescos'' or ''frescoes'') is a technique of mural painting executed upon freshly laid ("wet") lime plaster. Water is used as the vehicle for the dry-powder pigment to merge with the plaster, and with the setting of the plaste ...

style, represents Bolivar and Santander exiting the Cucuta congress during the creation of the Great Colombia. The mural is considered the most important fresco in the country and the artist's main masterpiece.

References

External links

Government buildings in Colombia Buildings and structures in Bogotá Seats of national legislatures National Monuments of Colombia Landmarks in Colombia Government buildings completed in 1926 1926 in Colombia Tourist attractions in Bogotá Architecture of Bogotá Neoclassical palaces Neoclassical architecture in Colombia {{Colombia-struct-stub