Palacio de las Academias

It dates back to 1684 when a Franciscan convent was built on the site but in the 19th century it served as a barracks, a hospital and a college.

In 1876, under President Antonio Guzmán Blanco, the Universidad de Caracas was moved to the building, whose former colonial façade was rebuilt in the Neo-Gothic style.

[5] Founded in 1576 and built within the next ten years, it was initially under Franciscan friars until 1597 when it was transferred to the Dominicans.

[2][11] During refurbishing work in 1876, a south courtyard was added, the north façade was extended, and the interiors were renovated.

It is furnished with three central tables and a baroque tribune, or dais, with a "presidium" (lectern) under an elaborate velvet canopy, all in the Gothic Revival style.

Other paintings depict figures who contributed to the development of Venezuelan culture and government: the lawyer and writer Miguel José Sanz (1756–1814), the Caracas-born Chilean academic Andrés Bello López (1781–1865), the German explorer Alexander von Humboldt (1769–1859), the German linguist and scientist Adolf Ernst (1832–1899) and President José María Vargas (1786–1854).