Monastery of St. Benedict, Benedictine monastery in João Pessoa, Brazil

The Monastery of St. Benedict is a baroque monastery in the heart of João Pessoa, Brazil, made up of a church and monastic quarters built around a single complex. Its limestone facade carries the coat of arms of the Benedictine Order, and a copper weather vane sits atop the dome.

Benedictine monks arrived in João Pessoa around 1585 and built the first Church of São Bento. The monastery itself dates from the 17th century, while the current church was begun in 1721 and completed in 1749. A dispute with the archbishop closed the monastery in 1921; it reopened in 1995 after restoration.

The complex is dedicated to Our Lady of Mount Serrat, and Benedictine activity here ended in 1921 after a dispute with the Archbishop of Paraíba, Dom Adauto Aurélio de Miranda Henriques; the monks were sent to other monasteries. Since the 1995 restoration, the church interior has hosted concerts of erudite music and sung masses.

The monastery is listed as a national heritage site and receives visitors, but it is worth checking opening hours in advance. Those who want to attend a sung mass or a music concert should look up the schedule before heading there.

Unlike many Benedictine buildings elsewhere, this complex follows a restrained decorative approach that sets it apart from the richly ornamented baroque churches common in colonial Brazil. One of its towers was never finished, giving the facade an off-balance look that is easy to notice from the street.