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Articles / About Camagüey / Local Notables / Natal house of Ignacio Agramonte y Loynaz
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Natal house of Ignacio Agramonte y Loynaz
By Miozotis Fabelo Pinares.
Major General Ignacio Agramonte y Loynaz’ natal house, in the city of Camagüey, has been functioning as historic and cultural center for 30 years.
Perched in the heart of the colonial Villa de Santa María del Puerto del Príncipe, and marked with the number 5 of the former La Soledad street, the old red-tile house opposite La Merced convent recovers its original majestic spirit thanks to the meticulous restoration works concluded on May 11th 1973, in occasion of the 100th anniversary of the General's fall in combat.
The then president of Cuba's Institute of History, Jorge Enrique Mendoza, authentic Agramontinean, opened the doors of the residence and expressed that: “more than a conventional and silent museum, it is predestined to be a living history lesson of our Revolution cause, of our political thought, and of the dialectics of Cuba's historic process”.
On December 23rd 1841, Ignacio Agramonte was born in this two storey building and was family estate till the Spanish colonial government confiscated it together with other properties when the Ten Years War of Independence broke out.
At the moment, in the second floor of the House Museum there are three permanent halls exhibiting 19th century furniture and decorative art, personal items of Agramonte and his relatives, plus photographs and documents on the life, the military history and struggles for the Independence in that time.
The first floor includes a conference lounge, exhibition halls and a central patio which is dedicated to cultural activities.
Over these 30 years as Historic-Cultural Center, the Natal House of Ignacio Agramonte has been visited by more than 1,5 million people, from them 46 700 foreigners, who are also interested on the history and heritage values of the old Camagüey.
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