The Legislative Palace of Uruguay ( es, Palacio Legislativo del Uruguay) is a monumental building, meeting place of the

General Assembly of Uruguay The General Assembly of Uruguay ( es, Asamblea General de Uruguay) is the legislative branch of the government of Uruguay, and consists of two chambers: the Chamber of Senators and the Chamber of Representatives. General Assembly has 130 voting ...

, and the

seat A seat is a place to sit. The term may encompass additional features, such as back, armrest, head restraint but also headquarters in a wider sense. Types of seat The following are examples of different kinds of seat: * Armchair (furniture), ...

of the legislative branch of the

Uruguayan government The politics of Uruguay abide by a presidential representative democratic republic, under which the President of Uruguay is both the head of state and the head of government, as well as a multiform party system. The president exercises executi ...

. It is located in the ''

barrio ''Barrio'' () is a Spanish language, Spanish word that means "Quarter (urban subdivision), quarter" or "neighborhood". In the modern Spanish language, it is generally defined as each area of a city, usually delimited by functional (e.g. residenti ...

'' of Aguada in the city of

Montevideo Montevideo () is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Uruguay, largest city of Uruguay. According to the 2011 census, the city proper has a population of 1,319,108 (about one-third of the country's total population) in an area of . M ...

. Constructed between 1904 and 1925, the building was inaugurated on August 25, 1925, in commemoration of the centenary of the Declaration of Independence. It was declared a National Historic Monument in 1975 by the government of President Juan María Bordaberry.

History

The history of the Legislative Palace begins in 1902 with a law that approves the call for international competition for architectural projects for the construction of a new headquarters for the legislative branch, since its old headquarters, the

Montevideo Cabildo The Montevideo Cabildo (Spanish language: Cabildo de Montevideo) is the public building in Montevideo that was used as the government house during the colonial times of the Viceroyalty of the River Plate. Today the building is used as a museum ...

, had several inadequacies. The project of the architect

Vittorio Meano Vittorio Meano (1860, Susa, Piedmont1904) was an Italian architect born in Susa, Italy, near Turin. Background and early career He studied architecture in Albertina Academy in Turin. In 1884 he arrived in Argentina to work in the studio of th ...

, who at that time was building the

Palace of the Argentine National Congress The Palace of the Argentine National Congress ( es, Palacio del Congreso de la Nación Argentina, often referred locally as ''Palacio del Congreso'') is a monumental building, seat of the Argentine National Congress, located in the city of Buenos ...

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...

, was approved, however he never found out that his project had been the winner, since he died suddenly before he could be contacted by the Legislative Palace Commission, organizer of the project competition. The construction of this building started in 1904 sponsored by the government of President José Batlle y Ordoñez. It was designed by

Italian architects Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

and

Gaetano Moretti Gaetano (anglicized ''Cajetan'') is an Italian masculine given name. It is also used as a surname. It is derived from the Latin ''Caietanus'', meaning "from ''Caieta''" (the modern Gaeta). The given name has been in use in Italy since medieval pe ...

, who planned the building's interior that is covered with marble. Among the notable contributors to the project was sculptor

José Belloni José Belloni (September 12, 1882 – November 28, 1965) was a Uruguayan sculptor of the Realist school. Biography José Belloni was born in Montevideo, in 1882; his father was Swiss from Ticino, and his mother Basque from Spain. His family r ...

, who created numerous

relief Relief is a sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces are bonded to a solid background of the same material. The term ''relief'' is from the Latin verb ''relevo'', to raise. To create a sculpture in relief is to give the impression that the ...

s and allegorical sculptures for the building. On August 25, 1925, the Palace was formally inaugurated. Although the decoration work was not completed until 1964. The inauguration was presided over by President

José Serrato José Serrato (September 30, 1868 – September 7, 1960) was a politician who was elected President of Uruguay. Background Serrato was a prominent member of the Uruguayan Colorado Party which had long dominated the politics of the country. He ...

. Source:

Architecture

The Palace is a Greco-Roman eclecticist style building, whose facades, interior walls, vaults and columns are covered with different marbles from Uruguay, it took almost three decades to build. It consists of three large halls and several adjoining rooms, an upper floor, where the Library of the Legislative Power works with more than 250,000 volumes and some parliamentary offices, as well as a large basement where there are offices, warehouses and printing and binding workshops. The main facade of the building is aligned with the axis of symmetry of

Libertador Avenue Libertador Avenue is a major avenue in Montevideo, Uruguay. It stretches north from the Legislative Palace in Aguada to Plaza Fabini in Centro, and is named after Juan Antonio Lavalleja, revolutionary figure and politician, who led the group ...

Gallery

File:2016 Fachada del Palacio Legislativo de Montevideo.jpg, Main facade view File:2016 en Montevido avenida de Las Leyes, Palacio Legislativo. Uruguay.jpg, Columns of the main facade and staircase File:2016 bandera en el Palacio Legislativo de Montevido en Uruguay.jpg, Uruguayan flag waving in front of the palace File:Palacio Legislativo-Salón de los Pasos Perdidos.JPG, ''Salón de los Pasos Perdidos'' File:Palacio Legislativo-Guardia Militar.JPG, Guards guarding the Constitution of the Republic

References

External links

Official site
Seats of national legislatures Government buildings completed in 1925 Palaces in Montevideo Government of Uruguay Aguada, Montevideo {{Uruguay-struct-stub Landmarks in Uruguay

History

Architecture

Gallery

See also

References

External links