São Bento Palace

Please enjoy the aerial view and the virtual visit of São Bento Palace, one of the most iconic monuments, which is also the home of the democracy in Portugal.

In the 16th century, Benedictine black monks, who got their name from the colour of their robes, decided to move closer to the court and the capital and, thus, headed to the outskirts of Lisbon. The outskirts of Lisbon because the entire Estrela and São Bento area was yet to become part of the city; it was instead part of the countryside.

A large field with small, modest houses, an area of vegetable gardens devoted to self-sustaining agriculture. The first Benedictine monastery in Lisbon was built in 1572 on the top of a hill, where the Estrela Military Hospital stood until 2013.

In the meantime, the monks bought Quinta da Saúde, which had received victims of the Black Death in 1569, where São Bento is located today. The construction of the Monastery of São Bento da Saúde began in 1598, and it was named after the Order, Monastery of São Bento, and ‘da Saúde’ given the former name of the farms that the monks wished to preserve. Our Lady of Health (Nossa Senhora da Saúde in Portuguese) became the Monastery’s Patron Saint.

Monastic architect Baltazar Álvares designed a large building that would be subject to a number of adjustments.

The Monastery of São Bento has seen a range of uses in the past: as a prison, a hospice, a gravesite for unidentified persons, a refuge, a warehouse for debris of military regiments, a military academy and even a patriarchal academy. It also housed the Torre do Tombo National Archive temporarily in the wake of the 1755 earthquake. In 1798 it housed the poet Barbosa du Bocage, who was imprisoned by order of the Holy Office.

After the Liberal Revolution of 1820, the first Constituent Assembly was elected (General and Extraordinary Cortes of the Portuguese Nation) and approved the first Portuguese Constitution in 1822. With the Constitutional Charter of 1826, two chambers were established, the Chamber of Deputies – representatives of the people – and the Chamber of the Honourable Peers of the Realm – representatives of the Clergy and Nobility. Therefore, it became necessary to find a building that would serve as a political forum, where the Deputies and Peers of the Realm could comfortably meet at the same time. Therefore, in 1833, this was the chosen venue to host the Palace of the Cortes, the name of the Parliament at the time.

The Office of Public Works was given the responsibility of slightly adapting the religious space to the needs brought about by its new functions. The monastic library was used to host the Chamber of Peers, and the Chamber of Deputies was built from scratch to the design by the architect Possidónio da Silva. The chambers were inaugurated on the occasion of the opening of the Cortes in August 1834.

The fire of 1895, which damaged the building’s right wing and destroyed the Chamber of Deputies, was what sparked the competition that selected a project by the architect Miguel Ventura Terra. In addition to building a new chamber and its anteroom – the Lobby –, this project would ultimately renovate a large part of the monastic building.

The greatest changes to the interior and the façade of the building were made in the 20th century, following a design by Ventura Terra. The remodelling works gave it the magnificence considered appropriate for this sovereign body – the Parliament.

During the 50 years when the works took place, the Grand Staircase, the Library and the Hall of Honour were also built, in the 1930s and 1940s, already designed following a new aesthetic and utilitarianism typical of the Estado Novo.

In order to experience a journey through time where you can imagine how the various areas were before and know how they work and what purpose they currently serve, we will be explaining the multiple adaptations made to São Bento Palace during this tour.