The Palace of the Argentine National Congress ( es, Palacio del Congreso de la Nación Argentina, often referred locally as ''Palacio del Congreso'') is a monumental building, seat of the

Argentine National Congress The Congress of the Argentine Nation ( es, Congreso de la Nación Argentina) is the legislative branch of the government of Argentina. Its composition is bicameral, constituted by a 72-seat Senate and a 257-seat Chamber of Deputies. The Senate, ...

, located in the city of

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...

. It is located in the ''

barrio ''Barrio'' () is a Spanish word that means " quarter" or " neighborhood". In the modern Spanish language, it is generally defined as each area of a city, usually delimited by functional (e.g. residential, commercial, industrial, etc.), social, a ...

'' of

Balvanera Balvanera is a barrio or neighborhood of Buenos Aires, Argentina. Origin of name and alternative names The official name, Balvanera, is the name of the ''parroquia'' (parish) centered around the church of ''Nuestra Señora de Balvanera'', erected ...

at its limit with Monserrat, an area informally known as the Congreso neighbourhood. Constructed between 1898 and 1906, the palace is a

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places liste ...

. The ''

Kilometre Zero In many countries, kilometre zero (also written ''km 0'') or similar terms in other languages (also known as zero mile marker, zero milepost, control stations or control points) denote a particular location (usually in the nation's capital cit ...

'' for all Argentine National Highways is marked on a milestone at the

Congressional Plaza Congressional Plaza (Spanish: ''Plaza del Congreso'') is a public park facing the Argentine Congress in Buenos Aires. The plaza is part of a 3 hectare (7.5 acre) open space comprising three adjoining plazas to the east of the Congress building. ...

, next to the building.

History

The idea of a congressional palace was first proposed and decreed in 1895. Designed by the

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

architect

Vittorio Meano Vittorio Meano (1860, Susa, Piedmont1904) was an Italian architect born in Susa, Italy, near Turin. Background and early career He studied architecture in Albertina Academy in Turin. In 1884 he arrived in Argentina to work in the studio of ...

and completed by

Argentine Argentines (mistakenly translated Argentineans in the past; in Spanish (masculine) or (feminine)) are people identified with the country of Argentina. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Argentines, ...

architect

Julio Dormal Julio Dormal Godet (1846–1924) was a Belgian architect who, after studying in Paris, arrived in Argentina in 1868 where he became one of the first exponents of the Beaux-Arts style of architecture. He built the Palermo Race Course and design ...

, the building was under construction between 1898 and 1906. Inaugurated that year, its aesthetic details were not completed until 1946. The

quadriga A () is a car or chariot drawn by four horses abreast and favoured for chariot racing in Classical Antiquity and the Roman Empire until the Late Middle Ages. The word derives from the Latin contraction of , from ': four, and ': yoke. The four- ...

atop the entrance is the work of sculptor

Victor de Pol Victor de Pol (1865 - 1925) was an Italian sculptor and medallist most active in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Born in Venice, de Pol was a student of Giulio Monteverde. (Monteverde was also the mentor to Argentine sculptor Lola Mora.) He immigra ...

; Argentine sculptor

Lola Mora Dolores Candelaria Mora Vega (November 17, 1866 – June 7, 1936) known professionally as Lola Mora, was a sculptor born in San Miguel de Tucumán, in Argentina. She is known today as a rebel and a pioneer of women in her artistic field. Early ...

graced the interior halls and exterior alike with numerous allegorical bronzes and marble grandma's, including those in the facade. The edifice was built at a cost of US$6 million allocated by the federal government. The building was officially accepted by Congress on 12 May 1906. As time went by, the building proved too small for its purpose, and in 1974 the construction of the Annex, which now holds the Deputies' offices, was started. From 1976 to 1983 the palace housed the Legislative Advisory Commission (CAL), which was a group of officers from the three

Armed Forces A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...

, built by

French Argentine French Argentines (french: Franco-Argentins; es, franco-argentinos) refers to Argentine citizens of full or partial French ancestry or persons born in France who reside in Argentina. French Argentines form one of the largest ancestry groups ...

urbanist

Charles Thays Carlos Thays (August 20, 1849 – January 31, 1934)Biog ...

, faces the palace. Popular among tourists since its inauguration in 1910, the plaza is also a preferred location for protesters and those who want to voice their opinion about congressional activities.

Architecture

The palace is in Neoclassical style, largely made of white marble with elaborately furnished interiors, especially in the

Lost Steps Hall Lost may refer to getting lost, or to: Geography * Lost, Aberdeenshire, a hamlet in Scotland *Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail, or LOST, a hiking and cycling trail in Florida, US History *Abbreviation of lost work, any work which is known to have bee ...

and the Blue Room. It is crowned by a bronze-plated

dome A dome () is an architectural element similar to the hollow upper half of a sphere. There is significant overlap with the term cupola, which may also refer to a dome or a structure on top of a dome. The precise definition of a dome has been a m ...

in height, weighing , weathered to green color. This cupola is supported over a deep inverted dome foundation. The dome is lit during Argentina's national holidays and other special occasions. The main entrance, called the ''Entrada de Honor'' ("Honor Entrance"), is exclusively used for ceremonial purposes. In front of it is the high ''quadriga'' sculpture, by Victor de Pol. It is made of bronze and weighs . A symbol of the Argentine Republic, it follows the typical depiction of

Roman Empire The Roman Empire ( la, Imperium Romanum ; grc-gre, Βασιλεία τῶν Ῥωμαίων, Basileía tôn Rhōmaíōn) was the post-Roman Republic, Republican period of ancient Rome. As a polity, it included large territorial holdings aro ...

generals making a declaration of Victory but in this case it is driven by the symbolic Liberty holding the reins of the horses. The palace used to have a barber shop in the basement but it was demolished.

Statues Recovery

In 1997, with the first general restoration of facades, representatives of the

Government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government i ...

promoted the recovery of the statues designed by

to crown the entrance to Congress. As the sculptor had personally donated to the government of province of Jujuy, the only thing possible was to make rubbings to place in

. However, at that time the idea did not materialize. Only in 2012, with the new Master Plan, the initiative gained momentum again and began to take shape. The government of

Jujuy San Salvador de Jujuy (), commonly known as Jujuy and locally often referred to as San Salvador, is the capital and largest city of Jujuy Province in northwest Argentina. Also, it is the seat of the Doctor Manuel Belgrano Department. It lies ne ...

reaffirmed its ownership of the statues of Mora, so that Congress signed a treaty for the restoration of the original and creating two copies of each work by a 3D mapping, which began in January 2013. the original had suffered deterioration caused by hundred years of outdoor exposure, so it must be kept in a closed and adequate space, while one group of rubbings will be placed in its place in the Government House of Jujuy, and the other set of rubbings will be placed in the original spaces of the National Congress. On 1 March 2014 replicas of the statues were inaugurated by

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...

Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner Cristina is a female given name, and it is also a surname. Notable people with the name include: Given name * Cristina (daughter of Edward the Exile), 11th-century English princess *Cristina (singer), Cristina Monet-Palaci (1956–2020), American ...

at the opening of the regular session.

Gallery

File:Congreso Nacional en construccion (Caras y Caretas, 1900).jpg, In construction, 1900 File:Congreso Nacional en construcción (1905).jpg, In construction, 1905 File:Congreso 1910.jpg, Still lacking some ornaments, 1910 File:Congreso Argentino durante la asunción de Cámpora (1973).jpg, On the inauguration of

Héctor Cámpora Hector () is an English, French, Scottish, and Spanish given name. The name is derived from the name of Hektor, a legendary Trojan champion who was killed by the Greek Achilles. The name ''Hektor'' is probably derived from the Greek ''ékhein'', ...

, 1973 File:Palacio de Congresos de Buenos Aires, Argentina2.jpg, Main facade view File:Buenos Aires-Plaza Congreso-Pensador de Rodin.jpg, Main facade as seen from

Auguste Rodin François Auguste René Rodin (12 November 184017 November 1917) was a French sculptor, generally considered the founder of modern sculpture. He was schooled traditionally and took a craftsman-like approach to his work. Rodin possessed a uniqu ...

's ''

The Thinker ''The Thinker'' (french: Le Penseur) is a bronze sculpture by Auguste Rodin, usually placed on a stone pedestal. The work depicts a nude male figure of heroic size sitting on a rock. He is seen leaning over, his right elbow placed on his left t ...

'',

File:CONGRESO 5.jpg, Main staircase File:Congreso Nacional Argentino Rivadavia y C. de los Pozos.jpg, Deputy Hemycicle, rear view File:La República y la cúpula del congreso.JPG, Detail of the bronze-plated dome, front view File:Hemiciclo Congreso Nacional.JPG, Rear part of the National Congress, Buenos Aires, Argentina. File:CONGRESO 11.JPG, Entrance of the Palace File:Cámara de Diputados de la Nación Argentina.jpg, Chamber of Deputies

References

;Web ;Bibliography * *

External links

{{Authority control Palaces in Buenos Aires

Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...