Dominican National Pantheon, Neoclassical mausoleum in Colonial Zone, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.

The Dominican National Pantheon is a neoclassical mausoleum located in the Colonial Zone of Santo Domingo, the capital of the Dominican Republic. White limestone walls rise to high vaulted ceilings, while an eternal flame burns beneath a copper chandelier in the central chamber.

Jesuits constructed the building between 1714 and 1746 as a church before it later served as a tobacco warehouse and theater. The government converted it into a national mausoleum in 1956.

The building has served as the final resting place for those who shaped the country for over six decades. Visitors enter a silent space where grave markers bearing engraved names are set into the floor.

The Pantheon is open Tuesday to Sunday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., and closed on major holidays; entry requires a ticket. Visitors move through the east entrance, along the south nave past the main altar, then the north nave back out. An honor guard of the presidential guard keeps watch, so keep voices low.

The chandelier hanging in the chapel was a gift from Francisco Franco to Rafael Trujillo, and a flame beneath it burns 24 hours a day. About 36 empty niches remain for future national heroes, plus one unmarked space for an unknown soldier. A permanent honor guard from the presidential guard stands motionless in dress uniform.