The Panthéon (Latin Pantheon,[1] from Greek Pantheon, meaning "Temple of all the Gods") is a building in the northern edge of the old town of Caracas, Venezuela. It was originally built as a church, but is now used as a famous burial place. 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.
On 27 March 1874, president Antonio Guzmán Blanco decreed the transformation of the Santísima Trinidad church of Caracas into a National Pantheon, to conserve the remains of the heroes of Independence and those of eminent people. This church was constructed by Juan Domingo del Sacramento Infante in the middle of the 17'th century, the 1812 earthquake destroyed it almost totally, its slow reconstruction continued under the direction of several engineers and when was decree as Pantheon, it was still not finished.The choice of this temple for so lofty a destiny was motivated as much by its then-panoramic and distant position from the urban nucleus of Caracas, as by its historical antecedents, during the return of Simón Bolívar's remains from Santa Marta in 1842, they were deposited temporarily at this church. In the church were also buried, in 1851, the remains of Francisco Rodríguez del Toro (Marqués del Toro), those of José Gregorio Monagas, Andrés Ibarra and Ezequiel Zamora. The decree of Guzmán Blanco was accompanied with the order of the completion of its facades, being finished the project made by engineer José Gregorio Solano during 1853-1858. It was the first design of neogothic architecture in Venezuela, consisted of a symmetrical facade of three doors and two angular towers. The works were led, successively, by the engineers Julian Churión, Juan Hurtado Manrique, Tomás Soriano and Roberto García, finishing on 28 October 1875. Nevertheless, the inauguration of the building occurred during St. Simon's day, when the remains of the Liberator were transferred from the cathedral. These were placed in a wooden sarcophagus with silver and gold coating, made in a neogothic style by the French engraver Emile Jacquin. The statue of the Liberator executed in 1842 by the Italian sculptor Pietro Tenerani was also transferred from the cathedral. The sarcophagus and the statue were placed in the space that was used by the priest of the church. From the ceiling, a crystal chandelier from Bacarat with 230 lights was hung. In 1910, the government of Juan Vicente Gómez undertook a general renovation of the building, following the plans of architect Alejandro Chataing. Some changes to the facade were introduced, and the inner decoration was modified, placing a sky-light in the ceiling of the nave
