This Neoclassical, limestone façade designed by Geronimo Quezada y Garçon was a Jesuit church and convent when finished in 1745. The complex was dedicated to Saint Ignatius of Loyola. He was the Spanish Catholic priest who founded the Society of Jesus in 1541. After the Jesuits were expelled from Santo Domingo in 1767, the building was repurposed several times. In 1958, Dictator Rafael Trujillo converted the property into the National Pantheon of the Dominican Republic. The remains of over 40 heroes and famous Dominicans are interred within the Panteón Nacional. Ironically, some of them include the assassins of Rafael Trujillo.
