The Palace of Justice of Colombia () is a building located in Bolívar Square in the city of

Bogotá Bogotá (, also , , ), officially Bogotá, Distrito Capital, abbreviated Bogotá, D.C., and formerly known as Santa Fe de Bogotá (; ) during the Spanish Imperial period and between 1991 and 2000, is the capital city, capital and largest city ...

, seat and symbol of the Judiciary of Colombia.

History

Throughout the history of Colombia there have been three buildings that have served as headquarters for the Palace of Justice. The first was a neoclassical building designed by the architect Pablo de la Cruz, located on Calle 11 at Carrera 6 and operated since the 1920s. The building was destroyed by a fire during the riots of 9 April 1948, known as the

Bogotazo El Bogotazo (from "Bogotá" and the ''-azo'' suffix of violent augmentation) was a massive outbreak of rioting after the assassination in Bogotá, Colombia of Liberal leader and presidential candidate Jorge Eliécer Gaitán on 9 April 1948 d ...

after the assassination of

Jorge Eliécer Gaitán Jorge Eliécer Gaitán Ayala (23 January 1903 – 9 April 1948) was a Colombian politician and statesman who was the leader of the Liberal Party. A nationalist, he served as the mayor of Bogotá from 1936–37, the national Education Minister ...

. The building that replaced this one was designed by the architect Roberto Londoño in the 1960s, of modernist tendency with neoclassical elements. It was located in Bolívar Square and was destroyed on 6 November 1985 as a result of the capture by the M-19 guerrillas and the retaking of the palace by the army. After the destruction of the Palace, the surviving magistrates, headed by Fernando Uribe Restrepo, worked from uncomfortable facilities of the Bank of the Republic building (Carrera 7 and Calle 27 in Bogotá) and then in a building in the north of Bogotá until the inauguration of the new building, located in the same place as the one destroyed in 1985 and designed by the same architect, Londoño. The building houses the Supreme Court of Justice, the

Constitutional Court A constitutional court is a high court that deals primarily with constitutional law. Its main authority is to rule on whether laws that are challenged are in fact unconstitutional, i.e. whether they conflict with constitutionally established ru ...

, the

Council of State A council of state is a governmental body in a country, or a subdivision of a country, with a function that varies by jurisdiction. It may be the formal name for the cabinet or it may refer to a non-executive advisory body associated with a head ...

and the Supreme Judicial Council since 2004. At the entrance is the only piece of the old structure: a plaque with a phrase of General

Francisco de Paula Santander Francisco José de Paula Santander y Omaña (April 2, 1792 – May 6, 1840) was a Neogranadine military and political leader who served as Vice-President of Gran Colombia between 1819 and 1826, and was later elected by Congress as the President ...

: ''Colombianos las armas os han dado la independencia, las leyes os darán la libertad'' (Colombians, weapons have given you independence, laws shall give you freedom). It is named after Alfonso Reyes Echandía, who was president of the court and was killed in the 1985 siege.

References

{{Coord, 4.5989, -74.0756, type:landmark_region:CO, display=title Palaces in Colombia Buildings and structures in Bogotá Judiciary of Colombia Courthouses Supreme Court of Justice of Colombia