Iglesia Veracruz, Colonial church in La Candelaria, Bogotá, Colombia

The Iglesia de la Veracruz stands at Carrera Séptima and Calle Dieciséis, the old Calle del Arco, in Bogotá's Veracruz neighborhood. Its stone portal is topped by two pinnacles and a niche holding a stone sculpture of Saint Helena. Inside are a main nave, a side nave, a chapel serving as transept, and massive rectangular pillars; a square tower with a pyramidal roof stands set back from the main facade.

The original chapel was built in the 16th century, shortly after Bogotá's founding; a plaque on the north facade gives 1546, while other sources cite 1575. Between 1631 and 1664 the Hermandad de la Santa Cruz enlarged it into a hall-type structure. In 1816 about 80 independence leaders executed during the Spanish reconquest were buried here by that brotherhood. Earthquakes, notably in 1827, damaged the building; it was declared a national pantheon in the early 20th century and remodeled in 1910 to a design by Julián Lombana.

The church holds deep meaning as a place where the nation honors those who fought for independence. Walking through its spaces, visitors encounter the tombs of key historical figures whose actions shaped Colombia.

The church stands at the corner of Carrera Séptima and Calle Dieciséis, the old Calle del Arco, in the Veracruz neighbourhood. The main entrance is on the north side, facing Calle Dieciséis; a second door serves the building. The square tower is set back from the main facade, and a small garden occupies the eastern side, closed to the south by the wall of the church of San Francisco.

The north facade carries a plaque giving 1546 as the inauguration year, while other sources point to 1575 for the church's beginnings. The stone portal above the main entrance is topped by two pinnacles and a niche holding a stone sculpture of Saint Helena.