Mosteiro de São Bento with Unique History Attraction

The Monastery of São Paulo is a guaranteed stop for those who visit the capital of São Paulo. It is one of those sacred tips that holds true also for people who are not religious. The Benedictines arrived in São Paulo in 1598, but only in 1634 was created the Abbey and the chapel was dedicated to St. Benedict. The site, which hosted Pope Benedict XVI during his visit to Brazil, today houses the monastery with about 40 cloistered monks, which follow the tradition of the ora et labora ("now and then"), in addition to the church (Basilica of Our Lady of the Assumption).

In the case of the monks of São Paulo, et et legere (" e leia "), especially the Sacred Scriptures. As was St. Benedict's wish, the monks should find their sustenance in the monastery in such a way as to avoid the departure of the monastic cloisters. Therefore, their activities are usually carried out on site. The Abbey of São Paulo, among other internal tasks and chaplaincies, is engaged in teaching, with the college - in 2003 it completed one hundred years - and the Faculty of São Bento, which inaugurated the first higher philosophy course in Latin America.

The establishment still has a theater, where musical concerts and events in general are held. Already the college offers courses and workshops on a few days of the week (check the schedule on the site). However, there are two major attractions of the monastery: the visitor can not miss the masses with Gregorian chants accompanied by the sound of a large organ - they occur every day, but the most traditional mass is held on Sundays at 10am. This spectacle, admired by people of the most diverse religions, fills the church, so anyone who wants to attend Mass sitting must arrive early.

The other great attraction is the shop, with breads, cakes, pastries, biscuits and jams made by the monks themselves and whose recipes are centuries old, kept long in the archive of the abbey. The way to prepare the quitutes is only transmitted to another monk so as not to lose quality with the massification.

The prices are a little more expensive than those of bakeries, however the ingredients are fresh, refined and top notch. Not to mention the exquisite packages and much admired, a beautiful gift for the tourist to take to the family. One of the most sought after is the São Bento Bread, made from mandioquinha, which costs $ 18 and serves several people. Still among the favorites are the Benedictus, a honey bread stuffed with strawberry jam, and the Dominus, brown bread that includes brown sugar, oats and olive oil.

But honey and apricot jelly, Bethlehem (with pistachios, nuts, dates and apricot), Dom Bernardo cake (French recipe based on coffee, chocolate, cognac, nuts, peach and ginger), Holy Scholastic Cake Swiss recipe with walnuts and apple) and Bolo dos Monges (19th century recipe based on canonical wine, apricot, plum and brown sugar) also make the guests happy.

All done handmade and with the seal "Monastery of St. Benedict", a true attestation of quality and good taste. The shop still sells books, sacred figures and the traditional Saint Benedict medal. The architecture of the Monastery is typical of the seventeenth century.

The current construction was erected from 1910 to 1922, inspired by the Germanic eclectic tradition, and was designed by the architect Richard Bernd. The interior decoration, frescoes and murals are authored and executed by the Dutch Benedictine monk D. Adelbert Gresnicht, who came to Brazil in 1913 for this work. He was a follower of the traditional Beuron Art School in Prague (capital of the Czech Republic).

The external watch is a mechanical preciousness of German manufacture. It was installed in 1921 and is considered the most accurate in São Paulo. The building also has a carillon and tuned bells that play in full hours and in the fractions. The organ of the Basilica, also German, is famous among the specialists. Contains four manual keyboards and pedals, 77 real registers and six thousand tubes.

In front of the monastery is the traditional Café Girondino, with juices, savouries and various sweets in an environment of envy to many charming cafés of European countries. It has hot food menu for lunch and chop for happy hour. A little further ahead it is still possible to gather friends at the Salve Jorge bar, which serves a praised feijoada on Saturdays. The atmosphere is a friendly, chaotic and fascinating contemporary boteco, inspired by the name of the bar that honors the various "Jorges" of Brazilian and worldwide culture, such as the writer Jorge Amado, singers Jorge Benjor, Seu Jorge, Jorge Aragão, Jorge Vercilo and George Michael, director Jorge Fernando, journalist Jorge Kajuru, filmmaker George Lucas and actor George Clooney, among others.

Not to mention that the monastery is one block away from 25 de Março Street, the country's most popular shopping center and one of the city's 59 specialty shopping streets.

The location is easily accessible, since in front of the Monastery is the subway station São Bento.