National Pantheon

Lonely Planet review

The entire central nave of the imposing National Pantheon is dedicated to national hero Simón Bolívar, underlining the almost saint-like reverence with which he is held in Venezuela. His bronze sarcophagus is placed in the chancel, and the path to reach his tomb is covered by a ceiling filled with paintings of Bolívar's life, all done by Tito Salas in the 1930s.

No less than 140 white-stone tombs of other eminent Venezuelans are crammed into the aisles. One tomb is empty and open, symbolically awaiting the remains of Francisco de Miranda, who died in a Spanish jail in 1816 and was buried in a mass grave. There are two more empty tombs, but they are sealed. One is dedicated to Antonio José de Sucre, who was assassinated in Colombia and whose remains are in the Quito Cathedral; he is considered by Ecuadorians as the liberator of their country. The other tomb commemorates Andrés Bello, a Caracas-born poet, writer and friend of Bolívar's who later went to live (and die) in Chile.

The pantheon is at the opposite, northern edge of the old town, five blocks due north of Plaza Bolívar. A church once stood on the site, but it was destroyed in the 1812 earthquake. After reconstruction, it continued as a place of worship until 1874, when Guzmán Blanco decided that it would make a suitable resting place for revered Venezuelans. The progressive president himself, who died in Paris in 1899, rests here.