Monastery of Tibães

The Monastery of St Martin of Tibães (Portuguese: Mosteiro de São Martinho de Tibães) is a monastery situated in the parish of Mire de Tibães, near Braga, in northern Portugal. It was the mother house of the Benedictine order in Portugal and Brazil, and it is known for the exuberant Rococo decoration of its church.

The first information about a monastic community in the region - the Monastery of Dumio, close to Tibães, founded by Saint Martin of Braga - dates from the 6th century.

The Monastery of Tibães was founded around 1060, and its feudal rights were granted by Henry of Burgundy, Count of Portugal, in 1110. During the Middle Ages, after the Kingdom of Portugal became independent, rich and vast properties in the North of the country came into the possession of the Monastery. However, due to the extensive reconstruction work carried out in the 17th and 18th centuries, there are no architectural remnants from this early stage of the ensemble.

In 1567, the Monastery of Tibães became the mother house of the Order of Saint Benedict for Portugal and the colony of Brazil, with the first general gathering of the Order happening in Tibães in 1570. In the first half of the 17th century, in view of the ruined condition of the old monastery and the vast resources at their disposal, the monks began the radical rebuilding that gave origin to the ensemble that exists today. The works began with the cloisters (Refectory and Cemetery cloisters) and the church, which was built between 1628 and 1661 in Mannerist style by architects Manuel Álvares and João Turriano. By the beginning of the 18th century the new wings of the Monastery were finished, including the Gate House, the Dormitory, the Guest House, the Chapter House and the Library.

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