Monastery of São Martinho de Tibães

From the solitude of the monasteries, the Monastery of São Martinho de Tibães, of the Benedictine order, was founded in the 11th century and achieved great notoriety in 1110, when the Letters of Couto (donation of the land to the Church) were granted by D. Henrique and D. Teresa, parents of D. Afonso Henriques, now buried in the Cathedral of Braga.

In 1567 it became the motherhouse of the Congregation of St. Benedict of Portugal and Brazil. In the first half of the 17th century, the great campaign to rebuild the monastery began, resulting in the complex that exists today. The beginning of the work was still in the Mannerist style, but the Baroque and Rococo styles would triumph in the campaigns carried out in the 17th-18th centuries.
Of all the buildings, the church stands out as one of the grandest temples in the country and one of the most important landmarks of Baroque art in Portugal.

Today, the Tibães Monastery includes the Church, the Gatehouse of Sra. do Pilar, the Receipt Room, the Guest House, the Bookshop, the Chapter Room and the Cemetery Cloister, but during its time it was an authentic training center for architects, carvers, gilders, imagers and sculptors, many of whom were involved in the construction of the buildings erected in the 17th century. With its functional architecture, at the time it had a clear separation between areas for prayer, work, leisure, communication with the outside world, areas occupied by the resident community and others.
A visit to this monastery is a journey through Portugal's religious and architectural history.

Group visits are subject to prior booking by phone: 253 717 900 | 253 087 929 (both provisional numbers, as the normal number is not active at the moment - 253 622 670)
Ou por email: – email: tibaes@patrimoniocultural.gov.pt ou joaquimloureiro@patrimoniocultural.gov.pt