Monastery of St. Benedict (Rio de Janeiro)

The history of the abbey began in 1590 when Manuel de Brito and his son Diogo de Brito de Lacerda donated land for its construction in the center of Rio de Janeiro, donating it to Pedro Ferraz and João Porcalo, Benedictine monks from Bahia. ^[1] At that time, the monks lived in a poor inn next to the chapel of Nosa Senhora da Conceisau (Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception) at the hill of Morro de Sau Bento. ^[2] Therefore, the patroness of the monastery became Virgin Mary, and later, in 1596, Saint Benedict was added as an additional patron and namesake by order of the General Council of the Portuguese Congregation. In 1602, the monastery, called Mostiro de Sau Bento de Nosa Senora da Conceisau, changed its name to Mostiro de Senora de Montserrat in honor of the saint, who worshiped the House of Francisco de Souza, the governor of Rio de Janeiro ^[3]

The amount needed to build the monastery was collected from the revenues of the numerous sugar cane plantations owned by the monks. Charitable donations of land plots covered the whole of Rio de Janeiro, in particular, the regions of Nova Iguazu and Campus dos Goytakazis. Slaves brought from Africa were used in the construction of the monastery. The stones for the construction were mined from Morro da Viuva (Widow's Hill), in the Flamengo area. ^[four]

The Portuguese military engineer, Francisco Frias de Mesquita, developed a construction plan and promoted it in 1617. The mannerism style so popular in Portugal at the time was chosen. Construction work began in 1633 under the direction of Abbot Francisco da Magdalen, who planned to finish the building in 1671. Designed by architect Friar Bernardo de Sao Bento Correia de Souza, the original plan was changed during the construction to include three naves. The chapels of the church were completed only in 1755, with the installation of a monastery designed by military engineer Jose Fernandez Pinto Alpoim.

The façade is part of the initial Mannerist style project, which includes a centralized building with three arches at the entrance, as well as a triangular pediment. Two towers, crowned with pyramidal spiers, are located on the sides of the entrance. The building has a tiled porch and an iron gate, preserved from the nineteenth century.