Capitolio Nacional

The National Capitol of Colombia is the seat of the National Congress, the highest legislative body of the Republic of Colombia. The capitol was originally designed by Thomas Reed at the request of President Tomás Cipriano de Mosquera, it was built between 1848 and 1926 and various architects were in charge. It is one of the most representative constructions of republican and neoclassical architecture in the city. The National Capitol of Colombia was declared a National Monument by decree 1584 of August 11, 1975. The main facade is located on the south side of the Plaza de Bolívar and is made up of two symmetrical lateral bodies and a transparent central body like a portico, consisting of a six-row colonnade of three Ionic-style columns that have two spans in each of its ends, one on top of the other and framed by two protruding bulbs supported by two terraced pilasters. The building is crowned horizontally with a entablamiento that finishes in a cornice with four taps and a balustrade in which vases and palmetas are interspersed. The drainage system at the height of the cornice is adorned with gargoyles with animal heads. In 1938, Ignacio Gómez Jaramillo painted two murals for the Capitolio Nacional in Bogotá. In 1947 for the Inter American Conference, Santiago Martínez Delgado painted a majestic mural under commission of the then director of the OEA, Alberto Lleras Camargo and Conference organizer Laureano Gómez, two men who later became Presidents of Colombia. This mural of the Elliptic chamber National Congress Building, made in the fresco style, represents Bolivar and Santander exiting the Cucuta congress during the creation of the Great Colombia. The mural is considered the most important fresco in the country and the artist's main masterpiece.