Mosteiro de Tibães

A few kilometres from Braga, the Mosteiro de Tibães was for centuries the mother house of the Benedictine order in Portugal. Its baroque church, cloisters and gardens, restored after years of neglect, make it one of the most rewarding monuments in the region.

The mother house of the Benedictines

The monastery was founded in the eleventh century and rebuilt in the seventeenth, when it became the head of the Benedictine congregation of Portugal. From here the order governed its houses across the country until 1834, when the religious orders were dissolved and the monastery passed into private hands. It is now a national monument, open to visitors.

What to see

• The baroque church, with its gilded woodwork.
• The cloisters and the monastic refectory.
• The gardens, with their terraces and box hedges.
• Temporary exhibitions and cultural events.

Visiting the monastery

The monastery is at Mire de Tibães, Braga. It is open from Tuesday to Sunday; opening hours and tickets are published on the official website, so check before your visit.

Visitor information: mosteirodetibaes.gov.pt.

Image credit: Mosteiro de Tibães, Braga, by Joseolgon, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. The Bom Jesus do Monte, with its staircase, is the other great sanctuary of Braga.