MOSTEIRO DE SÃO BENTO

The first Benedictine monastery in the Americas, the church and convent were built entirely of stone in the ^17th century and inaugurated in 1582 under the direction of the Benedictine friar Pedro de São Bento Ferraz. The current building is a remarkable architectural ensemble. Built over almost four centuries, it reflects all the trends of the period. Begun under Macario de São João, the work was never really completed. The monastery is built on three floors around a courtyard. The church is one of the few to feature a plan inspired by the "Gesu" church in Rome, with a large dome at the intersection of the side chapels. The dome and vault were only completed at the end of the ^19th century, whereas they had appeared on the ^17th-century plans.

The present building, however, dates from the second half of the ^17th century, rebuilt after the Dutch occupied and ransacked the site in 1624. It houses an impressive collection of sacred objects, art and history, and its library holds thousands of rare books. The monastery's history is closely linked to that of Bahia: it served as an infirmary during the Spanish plague epidemic in the ^17th century, took in the victims of the Canudos war in the ^18th century and was elevated to the rank of Minor Basilica by Pope John Paul II in 1982, 400 years after its construction. At 10 a.m. on Sunday, Gregorian chant fills the immense space of the church during mass.