Restoration of Bogota's Colonial Museum to be Concluded

Bogota.-With valuable collections of paintings, sculptures, furniture, textiles and silverware, the Colonial Museum of this capital will open again in the first semester of 2017 after a process of restoration, announced the Ministry of Culture.

In the big Bogotan house built in the 17th century, President Antonio Nariño -1812-, assumed his post. In that building also was kept prisoner Francisco de Paula Santander after the conspiration against Simon Bolivar, in it also The Liberator installed the Admirable Congress -1830- and in 1887 was sung for the first time the national anthem of Colombia.

The construction is at the now historical center of the city, very near the Palace of San Carlos -venue to the Ministry OF Culture-, the Primatial Cathedral and the Congress of the Republic.

With five halls showing paintings, sculptures, representative pieces of furniture, together with other relics, the museum conserves evidence of transcendent episodes of the period of Spanish colonial rule.

Among the projections of the Ministry of Culture for the next year stands out also the protection of patrimonial jewels in the municipality of Chivata (Boyaca), the integral restoration of the chapel of Our Lady of Mercy in Salamina (Caldas) and the temple of indoctrination of Pisimbala (Cauca).

According to the Ministry, in 2017 they will organize actions of maintenance repairs in the Hospital San Juan de Dios and the rehabilitation of the Crib belonging to the Cathedral of Our Lady of Mongui- of a romantic style-, reopened after the rescue work.

That last town of Boyaca is considered oned of the most beautiful of this Andean nation for the conservation of its vernacular architecture.

Houses of white walls and green doors, with two-water roofs of creole tiles (fired clay), distinguish the pleasant and cold Mongui, where the town folk make by hand and market authentic footballs of different colors and sizes, some in miniatures.

In 2016, they rescued several temples of indoctrination of Cauca which were on the verge of disappearing.

Such chapels were built in the 17th century by the Jesuit community to evangtelize the indigenous of the nasa ethnic group.

Source: PL