National Pantheon of the Dominican Republic

National Pantheon of the Dominican Republic
Location in Dominican Republic
Location Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
Coordinates 18°28′30″N 69°52′59″W / 18.475131°N 69.883158°W / 18.475131; -69.883158
Built 1714-1746
Restored 1956
Restored by Javier Borroso
Architect Geronimo Quezada y Garçon
Architectural style(s) Neoclassic-renaissance

The National Pantheon was built from 1714-1746 by the Spaniard Geronimo Quezada y Garçon and was originally a Jesuit church.[1][2] The structure was constructed in the neoclassic-renaissance style. Today the structure stands as a national symbol of the Dominican Republic and serves as the final resting place of the Republic's most honored citizens.

History

Jesuits held mass here from 1746-1767. After 1767 it was used as a tobacco warehouse and then as a theater. The theater was the venue for the pro-independence organization La Trinitaria, which staged shows under aliases such as La Filantrópica and La Dramática. From its stages, the ideas were set in motion for a free and sovereign republic by national heroes like Juan Pablo Duarte, Matías Ramón Mella, and Francisco del Rosario Sánchez, among others.

In 1956, Spanish architect Javier Borroso renovated the structure to serve its new purpose as a national mausoleum, by order of then dictator Rafael Trujillo. Originally, Trujillo envisioned being interred at the National Pantheon, yet ironically today it is the place where the country's most famous persons are honored, among others Trujillo's assassins.[1]

Other notables that are buried at the National Pantheon include; Francisco Gregorio Billini, Gregorio Luperón, Eugenio María de Hostos and Jose Gabriel García

References

  1. 1 2 "The National Pantheon". dominicanrepublic.com. Retrieved 31 March 2011.
  2. ↑ "JESUIT INSTITUTIONS IN THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC". http://www.manresa-sj.org/stamps/2_Dominican.htm. Retrieved 6 October 2011. External link in |publisher= (help)

Coordinates: 18°28′30.47″N 69°52′59.37″W / 18.4751306°N 69.8831583°W / 18.4751306; -69.8831583 (National Pantheon of the Dominican Republic)

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