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The Palacio de las Academias (Palace of the Academies; previously Convento de San Francisco) is a
''Gaceta Médica de Caracas''. Retrieved 21 May 2013. The Palacio de las Academias now houses six National Academies, which are the National Academy of History, the
The Convent of San Francisco was the first of many which were built in the valleys of Caracas. Founded in 1576 and built within the next ten years, it was initially under Franciscan friars until 1597 when it was transferred to the Dominicans. From 1673, laymen could study in the classrooms. It was supplemented with another building at the back in 1794, which was damaged by the great earthquake of 1812. By the 1820s, it was one of 40 convents in the city. By 1835, the National Library was situated in the convent. Diego Bautista Urbaneja was the first director (c. 1833–35).
The building gained a new façade in 1876 during the presidency of
During refurbishing work in 1876, a south courtyard was added, the north façade was extended, and the interiors were renovated. Luis Soriano and Carlos Toro Manrique were the designated architects. The modifications and additions made were in Neo-Gothic style with spires above the façade's forty bays. A central clock tower was also added, rising to a height of .
The university auditorium or ''paraninfo'', a sumptuous hall on the north side of the building measuring by , was inaugurated in 1876. It is furnished with three central tables and a baroque tribune, or dais, with a "presidium" (lectern) under an elaborate velvet canopy, all in the Gothic Revival style. The room houses 21 portraits and two busts of famous figures. Among the most significant are Simón Bolivar by
The Palacio de las Academias (Palace of the Academies; previously Convento de San Francisco) is a Neo-Gothic
Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...
building on the Avenida Universidad in the centre of Caracas, Venezuela. It dates back to 1684 when a Franciscan
, image = FrancescoCoA PioM.svg
, image_size = 200px
, caption = A cross, Christ's arm and Saint Francis's arm, a universal symbol of the Franciscans
, abbreviation = OFM
, predecessor =
, ...
convent was built on the site but in the 19th century it served as a barracks, a hospital and a college. In 1876, under President Antonio Guzmán Blanco
Antonio José Ramón de La Trinidad y María Guzmán Blanco (28 February 1829 – 28 July 1899) was a Venezuelan military leader, statesman, diplomat and politician. He was the president of Venezuela for three separate terms, from 1870 until ...
, the Universidad de Caracas was moved to the building, whose former colonial
Colonial or The Colonial may refer to:
* Colonial, of, relating to, or characteristic of a colony or colony (biology)
Architecture
* American colonial architecture
* French Colonial
* Spanish Colonial architecture
Automobiles
* Colonial (1920 au ...
façade was rebuilt in the Neo-Gothic style. After the university relocated to a new campus in 1952, the building became home to the National Academies. In 1965, it was listed as a national monument.Dr. Leopoldo Briceño Iragorry, junior, "El Paraninfo del Palacio de las Academias, Personajes"''Gaceta Médica de Caracas''. Retrieved 21 May 2013. The Palacio de las Academias now houses six National Academies, which are the National Academy of History, the
Venezuelan Academy of Language
The Academia Venezolana de la Lengua (Spanish for ''Venezuelan Academy of Language'') is an association of academics and experts on Venezuelan Spanish, the variant of the Spanish language in Venezuela. It was founded in Caracas on July 26, 1883. I ...
, the Academy of Medicine, the Academy of Political and Social Sciences, the Academy of Jurisprudence, and the Academy of Physics, Mathematics and Nature.
Location
The building is located on the corner of Avenida Universidad and La Bolsa in Caracas. It can be reached via themetro
Metro, short for metropolitan, may refer to:
Geography
* Metro (city), a city in Indonesia
* A metropolitan area, the populated region including and surrounding an urban center
Public transport
* Rapid transit, a passenger railway in an urb ...
at the Capitolio/El Silencio station. The Iglesia de San Francisco (Church of San Francisco) is situated to the right and south of the building and next to the palacio, having been constructed as an annex to the building when it was a convent.
History
The Convent of San Francisco was the first of many which were built in the valleys of Caracas. Founded in 1576 and built within the next ten years, it was initially under Franciscan friars until 1597 when it was transferred to the Dominicans. From 1673, laymen could study in the classrooms. It was supplemented with another building at the back in 1794, which was damaged by the great earthquake of 1812. By the 1820s, it was one of 40 convents in the city. By 1835, the National Library was situated in the convent. Diego Bautista Urbaneja was the first director (c. 1833–35).
The building gained a new façade in 1876 during the presidency of Antonio Guzmán Blanco
Antonio José Ramón de La Trinidad y María Guzmán Blanco (28 February 1829 – 28 July 1899) was a Venezuelan military leader, statesman, diplomat and politician. He was the president of Venezuela for three separate terms, from 1870 until ...
. Initially the San Francisco Convent, then the Central University of Venezuela, the building later became known as the Biblioteca or the Central Library. Since the tenure of President Pérez Jiménez, it has been called the Palace of the Academies.
Architecture and fittings
During refurbishing work in 1876, a south courtyard was added, the north façade was extended, and the interiors were renovated. Luis Soriano and Carlos Toro Manrique were the designated architects. The modifications and additions made were in Neo-Gothic style with spires above the façade's forty bays. A central clock tower was also added, rising to a height of .
The university auditorium or ''paraninfo'', a sumptuous hall on the north side of the building measuring by , was inaugurated in 1876. It is furnished with three central tables and a baroque tribune, or dais, with a "presidium" (lectern) under an elaborate velvet canopy, all in the Gothic Revival style. The room houses 21 portraits and two busts of famous figures. Among the most significant are Simón Bolivar by Martín Tovar y Tovar
Martín Tovar y Tovar (10 February 1827 – 17 December 1902) was a Venezuelan painter, best known for his portraits and historical scenes.
Biography
Tovar was born and died in Caracas. His father, Antonio María Tovar (1791–1860), was a f ...
(1875), Pope Innocent XIII
Pope Innocent XIII ( la, Innocentius XIII; it, Innocenzo XIII; 13 May 1655 – 7 March 1724), born as Michelangelo dei Conti, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 8 May 1721 to his death in March 1724. He is ...
(artist unknown), Archbishop Francisco de Ibarra (1726–1806) by José de la Merced Rada (1830), Bishop Diego de Baños y Sotomayor (1637–1706) also by Merced Rada, and Philip V of Spain
Philip V ( es, Felipe; 19 December 1683 – 9 July 1746) was King of Spain from 1 November 1700 to 14 January 1724, and again from 6 September 1724 to his death in 1746. His total reign of 45 years is the longest in the history of the Spanish mon ...
(author unknown). Other paintings depict figures who contributed to the development of Venezuelan culture and government: the lawyer and writer Miguel José Sanz (1756–1814), the Caracas-born Chilean academic Andrés Bello
Andrés de Jesús María y José Bello López (; November 29, 1781 – October 15, 1865) was a Venezuelan- Chilean humanist, diplomat, poet, legislator, philosopher, educator and philologist, whose political and literary works constitute an ...
López (1781–1865), the German explorer Alexander von Humboldt
Friedrich Wilhelm Heinrich Alexander von Humboldt (14 September 17696 May 1859) was a German polymath, geographer, naturalist, explorer, and proponent of Romantic philosophy and science. He was the younger brother of the Prussian minister, ...
(1769–1859), the German linguist and scientist Adolf Ernst (1832–1899) and President José María Vargas (1786–1854).
References
Further reading
*Duarte C, Gasparini G., ''Historia de la Iglesia y el Convento de San Francisco de Caracas''. Caracas: Banco Venezolano de Crédito; 1991 {{Caracas landmarks Former Roman Catholic church buildings Buildings and structures in Caracas Gothic Revival architecture in Venezuela Government buildings in Venezuela Buildings and structures completed in 1684 School buildings completed in 1876 Palaces in Venezuela Tourist attractions in Caracas Monuments and memorials in Venezuela 1684 establishments in the Spanish Empire