The Flag Square, ''Plaza de la Bandera'' in Spanish, is the biggest monument dedicated to the

Flag of Dominican Republic The national flag of the Dominican Republic is one of the official national symbols of the nation, along with the coat of arms and the national anthem. The blue on the flag stands for liberty, the white for salvation, and the red for the bl ...

, is located in one of the busiest areas of the city of

Santo Domingo Santo Domingo, formerly known as Santo Domingo de Guzmán, is the capital and largest city of the Dominican Republic and the List of metropolitan areas in the Caribbean, largest metropolitan area in the Caribbean by population. the Distrito Na ...

(Dominican Republic), at the intersection of the and Gregorio Luperon. It is a patriotic monument seeks to pay tribute to one of the most important national symbols of the nation. This is made up of representative elements linked to the ideas of Dominican liberators and at the same symbolism that contains the shield of the flag. The Square is used with many purpose like manifestation and the celebration of any national day like the Dominican Republic Independence Day.

History

The current Flag Square was built in 1978 during the government of Dr.

Joaquín Balaguer Joaquín Antonio Balaguer Ricardo (1 September 1906 – 14 July 2002) was a Dominican politician, scholar, writer, and lawyer who was the 41st, 45th and 49th president of the Dominican Republic serving three non-consecutive terms from 1960 t ...

as the center of a complex of public buildings including the headquarters of

Ministry of Defense A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and military forces, found in states where the government is divided ...

, the Central Electoral Board, the Institute for Price Stabilization (INESPRE), the Dominican Agrarian Institute (IAD) and the Center for Import and Investment, among others. In February 1997, President

Leonel Fernández Leonel Antonio Fernández Reyna () (born 26 December 1953) is a Dominican lawyer, academic, and was the 50th and 52nd President of the Dominican Republic from 1996 to 2000 and from 2004 to 2012. From 2016 until 2020, he was the President of th ...

reopened the monument after having undergone a remodeling, and renamed Flag Square (Plaza de la Bandera), replacing Independence Square, as it was originally called. The design of the work was the responsibility of the architect Cristian Martinez and the engineer Andres Gomez Dubriel, who conceived the structure as a Latin cross, which can be clearly seen from the air, and in the center stood a replica of the

Arc de Triomphe The Arc de Triomphe de l'Étoile, often called simply the Arc de Triomphe, is one of the most famous monuments in Paris, France, standing at the western end of the Champs-Élysées at the centre of Place Charles de Gaulle, formerly named Plac ...

. On both sides of the arch they were placed two angels representing the glory and honor, and center, a sculpture symbolizing the motherland, holding the fallen soldier, made by sculptor Juan de Ávalo. In this Plaza, the January 26, 1979,

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005. In his you ...

celebrated the first Mass of a Roman Pontiff, held in American land, projecting the square worldwide. In this mass, Pope was facing the original painting of the Virgin of Altagracia, which was taken especially from the

Basílica Catedral Nuestra Señora de la Altagracia The Basilica-Cathedral of Our Lady of Altagracia (in Spanish, ''Basílica Catedral Nuestra Señora de la Altagracia'') is a Roman Catholic minor basilica and cathedral in the Dominican Republic dedicated to Our Lady of Altagracia, patroness of th ...

for the occasion.

Tomb of the Unknown Dominican Soldier and Flags

The tomb of the unknown soldier who died for the freedom of the Dominicans is located in the Square. Numerous masts in the square marking the perimeter and all of them are hoisted flags of the Dominican Republic are located. In addition, the triumphal arch of the center of the square is also used as single mast because it has a halyard with another flag of the Dominican Republic, it hoisted larger than those in the above waving masts.

References

{{coord, 18.4500, N, 69.9750, W, source:wikidata, display=title Buildings and structures in Santo Domingo Triumphal arches