The National Pantheon of Venezuela (Panteón Nacional de Venezuela) is a final resting place for national heroes.
The Pantheon (
LatinPantheon,[1] from Greek Pantheon, meaning "
Temple of all the Gods") was created in the 1870s on the site of the ruined Santísima Trinidad church from 1744 on the northern edge of the old town of
Caracas,
Venezuela.
The entire central nave is dedicated to
Simón Bolívar, with the altar's place taken by the hero's bronze sarcophagus, while lesser luminaries are relegated to the aisles. The national pantheon's vault is covered with 1930s paintings depicting scenes from Bolívar's life, and the huge crystal chandelier glittering overhead was installed in 1883 on the centennial of his birth. The Pantheon was reopened in 2013 after a 3 year long process of expansion and restoration.
Pedro Camejo. Known by his nickname Negro Primero, hero of the War of Independence and fought with Simón Bolívar till his untimely death in the
Battle of Carabobo. (24 June 2015)
Cipriano Castro. Military and President of Venezuela. (6 December 2002).
Manuel Cedeño. Officer in the War of Independence. (16 December 1942).
Lino de Clemente. Official of the Venezuelan navy. (21 July 1961).
Agostino Codazzi. Military, scientist, geographer and cartographer.(16 December 1942).
José Gregorio Monagas. General in the War of Independence, President of Venezuela, ordered the end of slavery in an 1854 presidential decree. (13 November 1872).
José Tadeo Monagas. Military leader, President of Venezuela. (17 May 1877).
Mariano Montilla. Officer in the War of Independence. (3 July 1896).
Fabricio Ojeda. Journalist and news reporter who helped bring forth the triumph of the
1958 Venezuelan coup d'état, ending years of military domination in state affairs, later president of Patriotic Council during the democratic transition period. (24 January 2017)
José Manuel Olivares. Officer in the War of Independence. (14 May 1876).
José Antonio Páez. General-in-Chief of Venezuelan Independence. (19 April 1888).
Juan José Rondón. Officer in the War of Independence. (25 August 1896).
Manuela Sáenz. Heroine in the
Latin American wars of independence, helped in the struggle for Peruvian independence and for women's rights and was responsible for saving Simón Bolívar from an assassination attempt in 1828. (5 July 2010)
Bartolomé Salom. Officer in the War of Independence. (5 July 1909).
Juan Uslar. German-born and originally named Johan Von Usler, in 1819 he brought more than 300 soldiers to aid the Venezuelans in their fight for independence. (16 December 1942).
José María Vargas. Doctor and surgeon, President of Venezuela. (27 April 1877).
José Ramón Yépez. Official of the Venezuelan Navy. (22 August 1949).
Ezequiel Zamora. Military leader of the Federal War. (13 November 1872)
Miguel Zárraga. Officer in the War of Independence. (10 May 1876).
The following personalities in the preceding list are not buried in the Pantheon because their remains have not been found, but it has been decreed by the Venezuelan authorities they should be:[4]
Guaicaipuro. Indigenous chief that fought against the Spaniards.
Manuel Piar. General in chief of the army during the Independence War.
The following person is not buried in the Pantheon but an empty tomb is kept there, next to Simon Bolivar's in the hopes that his remains will return to his homeland:
Antonio José de Sucre. Hero of the South American Independence War, second President of Bolivia
Monuments
Central Nave
Monument to Simón Bolívar by Pietro Tenerani.
Right Nave
Monument to the First Republic by Hugo Daini.
Monument to José Gregorio Monagas by Julio Roversi.
Monumento to the Federation by Juan Bautista Sales Ferré.
Left Nave
Monument to José Antonio Páez by José Pizzo.
Monument to Rafael Urdaneta by Pietro Ceccarelli.
Monument to José María Vargas by Franco Bianchinni.
Monument to Santiago Mariño by Manuel de la Fuente.
Cenotaphs
Cenotaph in honor of Francisco de Miranda by Julio Roversi.
Cenotaph in honor of Antonio José de Sucre by Juan Bautista Sales Ferré.
Cenotaph in honor of Andrés Bello by Manuel de la Fuente.
Works of Tito Salas
Alegoría de la libertad de los esclavos.
Apoteosis del Libertador. (1942)
Bolívar en el Chimborazo.
Bolívar y Humboldt en París.
El ascenso al Cerro de Potosí el 26 de octubre de 1825.
El tiempo graba el nombre de Bolívar para la posteridad.
Entrada triunfal de Bolívar a Caracas después de la Batalla de Carabobo en 1821. (1935)
^Rarely Pantheum. This rare usage appears in
Pliny's Natural History (XXXVI.38) in describing this edifice: Agrippae Pantheum decoravit Diogenes Atheniensis; in columnis templi eius
Caryatides probantur inter pauca operum, sicut in fastigio posita signa, sed propter altitudinem loci minus celebrata.