TEATRO NACIONAL

The largest theater in the country, and the pride of Costa Ricans, was declared a historical monument in 1965. It hosts the most prestigious national and international theater and dance troupes, opera, comic opera and zarzuela, and important public events. Its existence is the result of the defection of one of the most famous singers of the late nineteenth century, Adelina Patti, due to the lack of a suitable venue in Costa Rica. A group of farmers and coffee merchants contributed to the construction of this theater. The president, José Joaquín Rodríguez, was moved by this donation and accepted the project in May 1890. The design and implementation were entrusted to Belgian architects and the decoration to Italians. The direction of the works remained in the hands of Costa Ricans (Miguel Angel Velásquez, Luis Matamoros and Nicolás Chavarría) assisted by architects of German origin, and the master builder was Antonio Varela. The National Theater was inaugurated by President Rafael Iglesias on October 19, 1897, after seven years of construction. The first performance was Gounod's Faust.

The Renaissance façade of the theater, in the architectural style then in vogue in Europe and Latin America, recalls the façade of the Opéra-Comique in Paris. The geniuses of Literature and Music, in the guise of Pedro Calderón de la Barca (Spanish poet) and Beethoven, frame the entrance portico. After the violent earthquake of 1992, the theater was badly damaged and had to be restored.