Museo Sacro de Caracas

The Sacred Museum is a cultural institution administered by the Archdiocese of Caracas. Its headquarters was declared a National Historic Monument in 1981 and opened its doors to the public in 1993. It is located in Plaza Bolívar and has an important collection of Catholic articles.

Near it there is a wall where you can see twelve crypts whose origin is unknown, although it is presumed that there are the remains of the first archbishops of the city.

Archaeological excavations carried out in the central courtyard during 1988 and 1989 revealed the existence of a mass grave of approximately 25 corpses. It is estimated that the people of Caracas who were executed by José Tomás Boves when they entered Caracas in 1813, rest in this cemetery. To commemorate these martyrs, it was decided to place a foundation stone guarded by two marble angels.

Important works related to Venezuelan colonial religiosity can be found in the permanent collection room. You can see the sculptures San José de Juan Pedro López, The Angel of Passion and Christ of Agony, the latter two being anonymous authors. Also images of saints to wear, such as San Pedro Apóstol de Antonio Hernández Prieto (1742) or the anonymous Santo Tomás de Aquino, Nuestra Señora de los Dolores and Nuestra Señora de los Ángeles (who wears a suit designed by the well-known Venezuelan couturier Ángel Sánchez ).

As for colonial painting, you can see works by Juan Pedro López, Puerto Rican José Campeche and Mexican Javier Flores, among others. There are also some pieces of goldwork and liturgical ornaments, some of which were donated directly by the Holy See.

As part of its exhibition you can also count the Ecclesiastical Jail, which dates from 1713