The Saint Charles Palace

Angel Otalora

Archaeology

The Saint Charles Palace is a historical site that’s located on the historical downtown in Bogota, the

1
place is the quarters of the ministry of foreign affairs nowadays.

The palace was built by Archdeacon Francisco Porras Mejia in 1585, the building was occupied by

the Archdeacon’s family until, in 1605, the building was sale to Archbishop Bartolomé Lobo

Guerrero, who used the building as a Jesuit seminary that he name as Colegio Seminario de San

Bartolomé, also in 1739 the first printing press of Santa Fe was located here, then in 1767, the

building became the royal Library of Santa Fe, as result of the expulsion of the Jesuits as a royal

decree of Charles the third, and the quarters for the Presidential guard and from 1828 until 1909

and 1954 to 1980 it was the Official residence for the president of Colombia, until the president

Rafael Reyes Prieto move the presidential residence to the Nariño’s Palace, and the President

Gustavo Rojas Pinilla decide to move in again, then in 1980 the Nariño’s Palace was inaugurated as

the Presidential residence and the Saint Charles Palaces became the ministry of foreign affairs 2.

The Building have a neoclassical style, it was built on a courtyard with Tuscan orders bounded with

slightly pointed arches with 2 windows one at the east side, a stairway from the south of the

courtyard and a balcony and iron railings up to a stone entrance, the building was adapted by the

architects Hernando Gonzalez Varona and Manuel de Vengoechea for future use of the building.

1
"Historia Palacio San Carlos", Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores. (in Spanish) Retrieved 17 May 2013.
2
"Palacio de San Carlos" (in Spanish). Official web site Toursim department of Bogoto. Retrieved 19 May
2013.