One of the most representative symbols of the country’s democratic life and formerly the headquarters of the National Congress, up to September 11, 1973.
Among its attractions are the large, splendid gardens, a unique hallmark of the sector where national monuments such as the Metropolitan Cathedral, the Chilean Museum of Pre-Columbian Art, the Courts of Justice and the September Palace converge.
From 1990 to 2005, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was headquartered here. Today, it houses the Santiago headquarters of the Cámara de Diputados and Senado as well as the Congress Library.
And since July 4, 2022, it hosts the legislative activity of the Constitutional Convention. In the place works the room of sessions for the 155 conventional; spaces for the offices of the technical secretariat and committee rooms.
It was declared a National Monument in 1976.
In the 16th century, the land on which the building was raised belonged to the Jesuits. Construction of the Congress began in 1857, but it was damaged in 1863 by the great fire of the Church of the Society of Jesus.
The new building was inaugurated in 1901, this being one of the first works of civil fiscal architecture made in reinforced concrete in Chile.
The building features sober neo-classical lines, with a French influence, and faces the Montt Varas Square where there is a sculpture by the Italian artist, Ernesto Biondi. Its main structure is in brickwork with beveled stone foundations. Also noteworthy are its parquet flooring and a marble staircase.
Its beautiful gardens take up the place where the church of the Society of Jesus used to stand. A marble statue depicting a Virgin was erected in remembrance of the victims of the fire of December 8, 1863.
Compañía de Jesús, 1131, Santiago.