Greetings to everyone in the Worldmappin community! Today I'm joining you to share another installment of Tourism in Carabobo. This time, we'll be talking about "La Casa de la Estrella." We're almost at the end of this collection of posts dedicated to the state of Carabobo, and I've left some of the most significant places for now. Therefore, this time, I've decided to split this review into two, as this is one of the places that contains the most important and transcendental information (and witnesses to milestones) in the history of Venezuela. So, I'll try to simplify things a bit, since, honestly, there's a lot to talk about (in this case, write about) La Casa de la Estrella. Let's start with that.
¡Saludos a todos en la comunidad de Worldmappin! El día de hoy me uno por aquí para compartir con ustedes otra entrega de Turismo en Carabobo. En esta ocasión estaremos hablando de "La Casa la Estrella". Vamos llegando ya casi al final de esta recopilación de publicaciones dedicadas al estado Carabobo y he dejado algunos de los lugares más significativos para este momento. Por lo que en esta oportunidad he decidido dividir esta reseña en dos, ya que este es uno de los lugares que más recoge información importante y trascendental (y testigo de hitos) para la historia de Venezuela. Así que intentaré simplificar un poco las cosas, ya que sinceramente, de la Casa de la Estrella, se puede hablar (en este caso, escribir) muchísimo. Comencemos con ello.
Located between Calle Colombia and Calle Soublette, you'll find La Casa de la Estrella on the corner of that intersection. Named after its founding, the building was named after a building in front of it called "The Red Star." Since it became a landmark, the locals quickly adopted the name. Its foundation dates back to 1664, when the building was constructed to be used as a hospital, then named San Antonio de Padua Hospital. A chapel was also located within the building, accessible to both the sick and the locals. At that time, cemeteries were built next to hospitals (for practical reasons), so on the east side of the house, we find an entrance (now closed) leading to the cemetery. This fact can also be seen, for example, in the current Central Hospital of Valencia, as the Municipal Cemetery is located next to it.
Situada entre la Calle Colombia y la Calle Soublette, se encuentra en la esquina de esa intersección, la Casa la Estrella. Nombrada de esa forma (posterior a su fundación) porque en el frente de la misma existía un local llamado "La Estrella Roja", por lo que al ser un punto de referencia, rápidamente los lugareños adoptaron ese nombre. Su fundación data del año 1664, cuando se construyó el edificio para ser usado cómo hospital, nombrado entonces cómo: Hospital San Antonio de Padua. A la par, se encontraba dentro de las instalaciones, una capilla, dónde tanto enfermos cómo lugareños, podían acceder a ella. Para ese entonces, los cementerios eran construidos al lado de los hospitales (siguiendo la lógica de la practicidad), por lo que en el lado este de la casa encontraremos un acceso (hoy en día cerrado) que daba al cementerio. Este hecho también lo veremos por ejemplo en el actual Hospital Central de Valencia, ya que al lado de este se encuentra el Cementerio Municipal.
The house follows a colonial architectural style that corresponds to the design of the nation's old hospitals. In fact, we can see that the Main Hall was used so the sick could attend Mass without coming into contact with the healthy. Later, in the 19th century, the house became part of the Congress of the Republic (from 1812 to 1830), marking one of the moments when the place had a political character. After that, the house served various functions: it was named by Páez as the National College of Valencia, then the College of Higher Medical Studies, and then named the "University of Valencia" (1893). It was closed by Cipriano Castro (1903). It then returned to function as a hospital: Children's Hospital, Charity Hospital, and Oncology Hospital of Valencia (around 1960). Finally, the house was in poor condition and was going to be demolished, but the Academy of History managed to save it, and it became what it is today: a Museum and Library.
La Casa sigue una estilo arquitectónico colonial que corresponde con el diseño de los antiguos hospitales de la nación. De hecho, podemos encontrar que la Sala Principal era utilizada para que los enfermos pudieran acudir a misa sin entrar en contacto con las personas que estaban sanas. Mas adelante, en el Siglo XIX, la casa pasó a ser parte del Congreso de la República (de 1812 y 1830), siendo uno de los momentos en que el lugar tuvo un carácter político. Luego de ello, la casa sirvió diferentes funciones: fue nombrado por Páez cómo el Colegio Nacional de Valencia, luego paso a ser el Colegio de Estudios Superiores de Medicina, así cómo nombrada "Universidad de Valencia" (1893) siendo clausurada por Cipriano Castro (1903), luego vuelve a funcionar cómo hospital: Hospital del Niño, Hospital de la Caridad y Oncológico de Valencia (alrededor de 1960). Finalmente, la casa se encontraba en malas condiciones e iba a ser demolida, pero la Academia de la Historia logró salvarla y se convirtió en lo que es hoy en día: Museo y Biblioteca.
Currently, the house has four areas that are open to the public. From the entrance hall, you move on to the Historical Documents Exhibition Room (highlighting a copy of the original Declaration of Independence, which, incidentally, had been lost for a long time in Valencia until it was found and brought to Caracas), some copies of local newspapers, letters from national heroes, illustrations and infographics of the coats of arms of the state of Carabobo and Venezuela, maps of the time, the painting of the Renunciation of Miranda by Gabriel Atencio (2011), murals by Pedro Castillo, and a few other texts. The central courtyard marks the entrance to the cemetery and its water fountain, which served during its founding; the Main Hall (where the Cosiata was signed and which culminated in one of the moments when Valencia became the capital of the country); and the Chapel Room. Visiting Casa la Estrella is undoubtedly a direct way to get to know Valencia and Venezuela (but also part of Latin America), given all the history it holds. This concludes today's review. Finally, I hope you enjoyed it, as always, with love and care. A big hug.
