Benedict Hill in downtown Rio de Janeiro , Brazil. The Mannerist style church is a primary example of Portuguese colonial architecture in Rio and the country.
The abbey was founded by Benedictine monks who came from the state of Bahia in Benedict College nearby. The college, established in , is one of the most important traditional educational establishments in Brazil and claims many famous alumni. Benedict Seminary , with courses in theology and philosophy that are recognized by the Ministry of Education. Theological studies at the monastery are also affiliated with the Pontifical Atheneum of St.
Anselm in Rome. The financial resources necessary to construct the monastery came from income obtained through the production of sugarcane on the multiple properties controlled by the monks.
African slaves provided the physical labor required to build the monastery. Anticlerical legislation in forbade the Brazilian monasteries to accept novices. By the end of the nineteenth century the Brazilian Congregation had been slowly dying. A change in government policy in reversed the earlier prohibitions. Pedro Eggerath was elected abbot in Besides the mission at Rio Branco, the monks had charge of the church at Alto Boa Vista , and extended pastoral care to the naval base on the Ilha das Cobras , as well as the garrison, prison, and hospital.
They also supervised a primary, secondary, and night school for adults. Portuguese military engineer, Francisco Frias de Mesquita, drew up the plans for the building and oversaw its construction in The Mannerist style , popular in Portugal at the time, provided the aesthetic inspiration for the structure.
