346 / 540
345
Juan Pablo Duarte
Fundador de la República Dominicana
[Founder of the Dominican Republic]
1813 – 1838 – 1844 – 1876
The dates refer to the birth of Juan Pablo Duarte, the foundation of the secret society of La Trinitaria,
national independence, and the death of this national hero.
On the northern side of the pedestal there is a medallion with a high-relief inscription of the Bastion of
February 27 framed by a laurel wreath, while to the south, another medallion displays the national coat of
arms. The eastern side presents a plaque on which a fragment of the letter sent by Juan Pablo Duarte to his
mother and sisters (from Curaçao dated February 4, 1844), requesting the donation of his property for the
cause of independence and headed by the motto “Todo por la Patria” (Everything for the Country). Referenc-
es to the Abelardo Rodríguez Urdaneta Monument to Duarte project are present, and the physical features
of the Duarte image reflect the busts created by the Dominican sculptor. However, the standing figure of a
young Criollo woman intended to symbolize the republic was replaced in Tomagnini’s version by a figure of
Greco-Latin inspiration.
In a solemn ceremony attended by municipal, educational, civil, military, and religious authorities, the
Monument to Duarte was inaugurated on July 16, 1930, the anniversary of the creation of La Trinitaria, as
reported in a newspaper column from the time:
THE APOTHEOSIS OF JUAN PABLO DUARTE
Yesterday afternoon, July 16, the Duarte Monument was unveiled.
This solemn event, which the city attended en masse, paid tribute to the illustrious patriot with all due
admiration and gratitude.
Beautiful speeches were delivered by Federico Henríquez y Carvajal, a longstanding and fervent Du-
arte supporter; by the Honorable President of the Republic, Rafael Estrella Ureña, [...] always support-
ive of patriotic deeds; and by Francisco A. Lizardo, president of the City Council, who received the
monument on behalf of the First City of the Americas.
Students and faculty from the schools of the capital filed past the statue, depositing their floral offerings
at its feet.
Schoolchildren sang the Hymn to Duarte, accompanied by the Municipal Band.
And—a magnificent touch to this ceremony—the statue was unveiled accompanied by the chords of
the National Anthem, while the Ozama Fortress erupted in thunderous artillery salutes, in honor of
the Father of Our Country.
From the summary that we provide of these acts, it can be understood that they represented a true
apotheosis.
All as it should have been.
(
Listín Diario
, July 17, 1930, 1)
The inauguration of the monument represented a patriotic celebration rarely seen in the city, which was
filled with Dominican flags, while those present wore their best clothes to honor the founding father on that
memorable occasion.
The Interregnum of the Dictatorship – Aurelio Mistruzzi
During the thirty years of the dictatorship of Rafael Leónidas Trujillo Molina (1930 - 1961), the excessive exal-
tation of the tyrant and his relatives took the place that had been previously reserved for the nation’s heroes, as
images of Trujillo multiplied across the country—in photographs, paintings, and sculptures. One of the most
ITALIAN SCULPTORS IN THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC