The
Center and Around
The historic sector, where
the city was born, has lost much of its original identity In a
rash toward modernization, many colonial houses were replaced
with modern buildings, which range from nondescript plain edifices
to futuristic tinted-glass towers. Architectural ragbag that it
is, the center is colorful and alive and boasts some important
sights, many of which are related to Bolívar. All are within
easy walking distance of each other.
Please
note that additional info (prices, activities, etc) are found
to the right of this pages. 
Plaza Bolívar
This is the nucleus of the
old town, with the inevitable monument to Bolívar in the
middle. The equestrian statue was cast in Europe, shipped in pieces,
assembled and unveiled in 1874 — later than planned, because
the ship carrying it had foundered on the Archipiélago
de Los Roques. The plaza is a favorite playground for all sorts
of political visionaries and religious messiahs, who deliver their
passionate speeches to a casual audience, mostly at lunchtime.
The leafy square is lined on all sides by a collection of buildings
from different epochs, some of which are detailed in the following
sections.
Catedral
Set on the eastern side of
Plaza Bolívar, the cathedral was built from 1665 to 1713
after the 1641 earthquake had destroyed the previous church. A
wide five-nave interior supported on 32 columns was largely remodeled
in the late 19th century The Bolívar family chapel is in
the middle of the right-hand aisle and can be easily recognized
by a modern sculpture of El Libertador mourning his parents and
wife. Note the fine colonial altarpiece at the back of the chapel.
Museo Sacro de Caracas
Accommodated in a meticulously
restored colonial building next to the cathedral, the museum displays
a modest but carefully selected collection of religious art. It
also has an interesting cultural program featuring theater, poetry
musical recitals and concerts, which are staged on the premises,
plus a pleasant café. The museum is open 10 am to 5 pm
daily except Monday.
Concejo Municipal
Occupying half of Plaza Bolívar’s
southern side, this building was erected by the Caracas bishops
from 1641 to 1696 to house the Colegio Seminario de Santa Rosa
de Lima. In 1725, the Real y Pontificia Universidad de Caracas,
the province’s first university, was established here. Bolívar
renamed it the Universidad Central de Venezuela, the moniker it
continues to keep to this day though it moved away and now occupies
a vast campus outside the historic center. Today the building
is the seat of the Municipal Council, but part of it is open to
the public (9 to noon and 2 to 4:30 pm Tuesday to Friday 10 am
to 4:30 pm weekends).
The Museo
Caracas, on the ground floor, features exhibits related
to the town’s history including historic paintings and elaborate
models of central Caracas as it looked in the 1810s and 1930s.
Also on display is a collection of dioramas depicting the life
of turn-of-the-19th-century Caracas, all created by a local artist,
Raul Santana. On the 1st floor is a collection of 80 paintings
by Emilio Boggio (1857—1920), a Venezuelan artist who lived
in Paris. It’s normally closed to the public, but the attendants
by the main entrance might show you around.
The western side of the building
houses the Capilla de Santa Rosa
de Lima, where on July 5,1811, the congress declared Venezuela’s
independence (though it was another 10 years before this became
a reality). The chapel has been restored with the decoration and
furniture of the time.
While strolling around the spacious courtyard with a fountain
in the middle, look for the famous Caracas map of 1578; its enlarged
reproduction is displayed in the courtyard’s cloister.
Casa Amarilla
The 17th-century balconied
mansion called the ‘Yellow House,’ on the western
side of Plaza Bolívar, was originally the infamous royal
prison. Wholly revamped and painted yellow (hence its name) after
independence, the building was converted into a presidential residence.
Today it’s the seat of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and
can’t be visited, but have a look at the well-preserved
colonial appearance of its exterior.
Iglesia Santa Capilla
The Holy Chapel, one block
north of Plaza Bolívar, is a neo-Gothic church that was
modeled on the Sainte Chapelle of Paris and looks a bit like a
wedding cake. It was ordered by Guzmán Blanco in 1883 and
built on the site of the rustic San Mauricio chapel, where the
first mass was allegedly celebrated after the foundation of the
town. Illuminated by the warm light passing through colorful stained-glass
windows, the decorative interior boasts an elaborate stone high
altar and an unusual openwork vault. One of the treasured possessions
of the church is the sizable painting Multiplication
of the Bread, by Arturo Michelena, hanging in the right-hand
aisle.
Capitolio Nacional
The neoclassical National Capitol,
the seat of the congress, occupies the entire block just southwest
of Plaza Bolívar. It’s a two-building complex, commissioned
in the 1870s by Guzmán Blanco and erected on the site of
a convent, whose occupants had been expelled by the dictator (who
proceeded to raze the old building).
In the central part of the
northern building is the famous Salón
Elíptico, the oval hall with a large mural on its
domed ceiling. The painting, depicting the battle of Carabobo,
was done in 1888 by perhaps the most notable Venezuelan artist
of the day, Martín Tovar y Tovar. The southern wall of
the hall is crammed with portraits of distinguished leaders of
the independence wars. In front of this wall is Bolívar’s
bust on top of a marble pedestal; the original Act of Independence
of 1811 is kept in the chest inside the pedestal. It’s put
on public view on July 5, which is Independence Day.
Tovar y Tovar left behind
more military works of art in two adjoining halls: The Salón
Amarillo has on its ceiling a depiction of the battle of Junin,
while the Salon Rojo has been embellished with a scene from the
battle of Boyacá. The Capitolio is open for visits daily
9 am to noon pm and 2 to 5 pm.
Iglesia de San Francisco
Just south of the Capitolio
Nacional, the San Francisco church was built in the 1570s but
was remodeled on several occasions during the 17th and 18th centuries.
Guzmán Blanco, unable to resist his passion for modernizing,
placed a new neoclassical facade on the church to match the just-completed
capitol building. Fortunately, the interior of the church didn’t
undergo such an extensive alteration, so its colonial character
and much of its old decoration has been preserved. Have a look
at the richly gilded baroque altarpieces distributed along both
side walls, and stop at the statue of San Onofre, in the right-hand
aisle. He is the most venerated saint in the church due to his
miraculous powers of bringing health, happiness and a good job.
It was in this church in 1813 that Bolívar was proclaimed
‘El Libertador,’ and also here that his much-celebrated
funeral was held in 1842, after his remains had been brought from
Santa Marta in Colombia, 12 years after his death.
Casa Natal de Bolívar
Bolívar’s funeral
took place just two blocks from the house where, on July 24, 1783,
he was born. The house’s reconstructed interior (which lost
almost all of its colonial features in the process) has been decorated
with a score of large paintings by Tito Salas depicting Bolívar’s
heroic battles and scenes from his life. The house is open 9 am
to noon and 2 to 5pm Tuesday to Friday, 10am to 1 pm and 2 to
5 pm weekends. |
