The sober façade
Three carved doors.
Prefeitura de Olinda — CC BY 2.0 · Karlavidal — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Lucas Oliver — CC BY-SA 4.0
São Bento Monastery stands where the first Benedictine monastery in Brazil was built, between 1597 and 1599. That first monastery burned in 1631, when fire consumed most of Olinda during the Dutch invasion and only its archive survived; it was rebuilt and back in use by 1656. Its present church was begun around 1660 and finished in 1761, with a sober façade of three carved wooden doors, a bell tower on the right and the Benedictine coat of arms at the top. Its high altar, of cedar entirely covered in gold, was made between 1783 and 1786 and is counted among the finest gilded woodwork in Brazil; in 2001 it was even shipped to New York for an exhibition at the Guggenheim Museum, and then returned. The building is part of Olinda's World Heritage town and lies in the lower part of the old town, an easy start for the walk up to Alto da Sé.
Three carved doors.
Right of the church.
Up to Alto da Sé.
Rua São Bento, old Olinda
It is cedar entirely covered in gold, made in 1783-1786, and in 2001 it was shipped for display at the Guggenheim in New York and then returned.
