Palace of the Academies

Home of the National Academies

This striking white building today is the headquarters of the National Academies (medicine, science, mathematics and history, among others), as well as the home of the Caracas Metropolitan Library. Its strongly neo-gothic style, reflected in its towers as well as in its windows, hails from the sixteenth century, when it was built as a convent for Franciscan monks. It operated as one for almost three centuries, until 1821, when an independent Venezuela decided to take it over for other functions. At first it was the Chamber of Deputies, and later, the Central University. Inside, take note of its ample corridors, patios, and landscaped areas, in which you will find numerous statues honoring some of the most outstanding figures in Venezuela's history. The exterior was remodeled during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, when the south façade and the second story were completed.