Bolívar Square (), also known as Congress Square (Plaza del Congreso) or Inquisition Square (Plaza de la Inquisición), is a public square located at the second block of Abancay Avenue, in the neighbourhood of Barrios Altos in Lima, Peru. It is three blocks east of the city's main square and forms part of the city's historic centre. Its other names come from the Legislative Palace, which serves as the seat of the

Congress of Peru The Congress of the Republic of Peru () is the unicameral body that assumes legislative power in Peru. Due to broadly interpreted impeachment wording in the Constitution of Peru, the President of Peru can be removed by Congress without cause, ...

and the Former Tribunal of the Inquisition, a museum in the site which once housed both the tribunal and the senate. Gatherings and parades are held at the plaza during national holidays because it is named for

Simón Bolívar Simón José Antonio de la Santísima Trinidad Bolívar y Palacios (24July 178317December 1830) was a Venezuelan statesman and military officer who led what are currently the countries of Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, Panama, and Bol ...

, who is considered the liberator of the country.

History

The square was originally known as the Square of the Three Cardinal Virtues () up until the late 16th century, after which it became better known after the Tribunal of the Holy Inquisition, located there. In 1821,

José de San Martín José Francisco de San Martín y Matorras (; 25 February 177817 August 1850), nicknamed "the Liberator of Argentina, Chile and Peru", was an Argentine general and the primary leader of the southern and central parts of South America's succe ...

declared the

Independence of Peru The Peruvian War of Independence () was a series of military conflicts in Peru from 1809 to 1826 that resulted in the country's independence from the Spanish Empire. Part of the broader Spanish American wars of independence, it led to the dis ...

in this square, as he had previously done in the

Plaza de Armas ''Plaza de armas'' (pl. ; literally ''arms square'' or ''place-of-arms'') is a Spanish language, Spanish term commonly used to refer to town square, town squares in Latin America, Spain and the Philippines, as well as a name commonly given to th ...

, La Merced, and Santa Ana. Because of this, it took the nickname of Constitution Square () after the

Constituent Congress A constituent assembly (also known as a constitutional convention, constitutional congress, or constitutional assembly) is a body assembled for the purpose of drafting or revising a constitution. Members of a constituent assembly may be elected b ...

. A decree of July 6, 1822, ordered the erection of a column in the middle of the square that would be crowned with an equestrian statue of San Martín, which was not acted upon and replaced with another order for the erection of monument of

on February 12, 1825. Expansion works for Abancay Avenue in 1949 transformed the original shape of the square.

Gallery

File:Plazabolivar.jpg, The Plaza Bolivar with the Our Lady of Charity church in the 1800s File:Plazabolivar1.jpg, The Plaza Bolivar in the 1800s File:Bolivarperu.JPG, Statue to Simon Bolivar

References

Bolivar Historic Centre of Lima {{Peru-struct-stub

History

Gallery

See also

References