Mosteiro de São Bento (Sã

The São Bento Monastery is a historical and religious site located in Largo de São Bento, in the city center of São Paulo, Brazil. The site is a collection of the Abbey Basilica of Our Lady of the Assumption, the College of St. Benedict and the Faculty of St. Benedict. Its present structure began to be constructed between 1910 and 1912, from the project created by the German architect Richard Berndl (1875-1955), but the true beginning of the history of the Monastery is more than 400 years. About 45 monks live in the Monastery, where they dedicate their lives to the tradition of "now and work" (in Latin: ora et labora). In the case of the monks of São Paulo, the tradition was added "and read" (in Latin: et legere). Religious are always willing to receive guests and visitors, welcoming those who come in search of prayer, retreat, spiritual guidance or confession. The Abbey Basilica of Our Lady of the Assumption (elevated to this dignity on June 14, 1922) has the choir for the divine office in monastic rite prayed daily by the monks and Mass in Roman rite, both with Gregorian chant.

Since 2006, the head of the monastery is Abbot Mathias Tolentino Braga, who, in May 2007, hosted Pope Benedict XVI on his first visit to Brazil.

History

The history of the Benedictines in São Paulo begins in 1598 (when they arrived in the city), when Frei Mauro Teixeira, a Sao Paulo religious from São Vicente, built a modest church dedicated to Saint Benedict, with funds from a donation made by the captain -mor Jorge Correia. [3] The land chosen was one of the best in the village, located at the top of the hill, between the river Anhangabaú and the river Tamanduateí, where previously had lived the house of the cacique Tibiriçá. The construction began to be lifted from 1600, when the City Council officially validated the sesmaria charter, which granted permission of the government of Portugal for the use of such lands. In its content, the letter specifies:

"Letter of sesmaria grounds, to the site of the convent"

For "to be as the said priest says and alleges, by the service of God our Lord and his servant, the blessed Saint Benedict", "which floors will be for the convent, monastery, or house of said saint, free and exempt from all taxes and pensions, from today until the end of the world. "[4] "
At the end of 1634, the works were completed and can be constituted the Abbey. Initially the small chapel was dedicated to St. Benedict, later, at the request of the Governor of the Captaincy of St. Vincent, D. Francisco de Sousa, the patron was changed to Our Lady of Montserrat and in 1720 the chapel began to call Our Lady of the Assumption, title that conserves until today. However, the set was initially very modest, composed by the small old church and four cells.

In 1641, the monastery was the important stage of the historical episode known as Amador Bueno's Acclamation. With the end of the Iberian Union, D. João, at the time Duke of Bragança, was crowned king of Portugal. In São Paulo, a group of settlers - largely Castilians - wanted the captaincy not to recognize the new king, and offered the title of "King of São Paulo" to Amador Bueno. However, this one did not want to accept the offer, taking refuge in the Monastery of São Bento to protect itself from the popular fury. Finally, with the help of the monks, the moods were calmed and D. João ended up being recognized by the paulistas like the new king of Portugal.

From 1650, the structure underwent a great expansion, thanks to the bandeirante Fernão Dias Pais, known like "hunter of emeralds". In exchange for financial support, the monks granted him the privilege of being buried in the main chapel of the monastery church after his death, as well as his relatives and descendants. To this day his remains rest in the crypt of the church. The images of clay of Saint Benedict and Saint Scholastica, made by Friar Augustine de Jesus (c. 1600-1661) and preserved to this day on the high altar of the church, date back to the same period.

In the first half of the nineteenth century, a law of the imperial government determined the extinction of novitiates in Brazil, preventing the renewal of the old monks by younger religious. The inevitable decay caused by this law caused that the transfer of the monastery to the public treasury was considered. This situation was only reversed by the action of the abbot D. Miguel Kruse (1864-1929), German religious who renewed the monastery. In 1903, Kruse founded the College of São Bento, of secondary education, and in 1908 still created the Faculty of Philosophy, considered the first of the type in Brazil.

Also by initiative of D. Miguel Kruse were demolished the church and the monastery of the colonial time for the construction of a more modern and great building. The current building, in order to follow the process of urbanization of the city, began to be erected in 1910, following the project of the architect Richard Berndl, former professor of the University of Munich, and with decoration signed by Benedictine Adalbert Gressnigt. The current building is the fourth building since its installation in the city of São Paulo.

Architecture

The monastery has its architecture originated from the 17th century. The works for the construction of the present Monastery of Saint Benedict occurred between 1910 and 1922, following the project of the German architect Richard Berndl, native of Munich. The general style follows the tradition of the eclectic Germanic architecture. Most of the interior decoration, such as murals, was planned and executed by the monk D. Adalbert Gressnicht (1877-1956), a Dutchman who arrived in Brazil in 1913 especially for this responsibility. Adalbert originally came from the Abbey of Maredsous in Belgium. Gressnicht was a follower of the School of Art Beuron, a traditional school of Prague and realized paintings, stained glass, murals, frescoes and decoration sculptural in the style of the Abbey of Beuron, Germany.

Also outstanding are the images of the nave realized between 1919 and 1922 by the Belgian sculptor and painter Adrian Henri Vital van Emelen (1868-1943), of the Lyceum of Arts and Crafts. From 1921 dates the set sculptural located in a crossbar on the main chapel, authored by Anton Lang (1875-1938). [9] Finally, the main altar itself is made of marble from the Lake Maggiore region in Italy. 

Clock and Organ

The clock of the Monastery of São Bento, is of German manufacture, and was installed in 1921. It was considered the most accurate watch of São Paulo, until the appearance of the watches in crystal of quartz. Its machinery also has a chime with six tuned bells that play in the full hours and in the fractions.

The organ of the church dates from 1954 and is also German. It was produced by the Walcker Factory and has more than 6,000 tubes. 

Pope Benedict XVI and restoration

In 2006, the monastery underwent an intense process of restoration and improvements to receive and host Pope Benedict XVI during his visit to Brazil in May 2007

With the international coverage generated by the interest that the visit aroused, the Monastery gains a projection, which can develop religious and cultural tourism in the city.

College

In July 1900, a new period began in the history of the monastery, when the works of the college (then called gymnasium) began, which was ready in 1903, counting among its founding professors with Afonso d'Escragnolle Taunay. After that, in 1908, was founded the Faculty of Philosophy, that would come to be the first one of Brazil and embryo of the present Pontifical Catholic University of São Paulo.

It was at this same time that the project of a new abbey and a new monastery began. In 1910, the construction began, according to a project by the architect Richard Berndl, of the city of Munich, Germany. Four years later, in 1914, the assembly was completed as it is known today, housing the Basilica of Our Lady of the Assumption, the Monastery and the College of St. Benedict. The College of St. Benedict is one of the leading schools for Chinese outside China, so much so that half the students are of Chinese origin. 

The Faculty of São Bento still retains its educational tradition offering undergraduate courses in philosophy, as well as courses in classical languages ​​such as Greek and Latin.

Bakery and shop of the Monastery of São Bento

In addition to the Cathedral, Faculty and College, the Monastery also has a bakery in their homes, where they are made by the monks themselves, breads, cakes, biscuits, jellies, chocolates and craft beers. The recipes are very well kept and are only passed from monk to monk because you can not miss the tradition. With regard to prices, compared to a traditional bakery, it can be considered very high, but all its products are made with total quality.

The most sought after products are: buns, which in their composition have mandioquinha, benedictus which is a honey bread stuffed with strawberry jam, and also as most sought after have the cakes, which flee the traditional style, such as recipe Swiss walnut cake with apple.

In the store can be found books, sacred images, medals of Saint Benedict, and CDs of Gregorian chant engraved by the monks, like Cantus Selecti that is a compilation of Latin prayers sung in Gregorian.

In addition to the store attached to the Monastery, there is also a separate cafe located in the Jardins neighborhood, in the West Zone of São Paulo.

Library

The monastery also houses a library with more than 100 000 titles, some very rare. It is speculated that it is the oldest one of the city of São Paulo, beginning with the first monks that arrived in 1598.

The collection contains 581 titles published before the nineteenth century, including six rare incunabula. The earliest is a New Testament dating from 1496. It also has a curious collection of tiny manuscripts, with less than a centimeter of spine, containing a biblical passage or a prayer, as well as rare editions of books that were banned by the Catholic Church 

The purchase of the books by the library of the Monastery was due both to the purchase, as well as to the heritage of the personal books of the monks themselves, which are incorporated into the collection after the death of the monk. It is assumed that, in the eighteenth century, the library of the Monastery was also a notary and archive. 

Access to the collection is restricted to monks and students, but researchers and scholars may request special permission.

Source: https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mosteiro_de_S%C3%A3o_Bento_(S%C3%A3o_Paulo)