SEVEN RELIGIOUS SITES IN BRAZIL.

*Image: courtesy of Halley Pacheco de Oliveira.

2. MONASTERY OF ST. BENEDICT.

This monastery was founded in 1590 in Rio de Janeiro by a group of Benedictine monks from Bahia. Located on a seaside hill, the church has a rather plain exterior and lavish interior — a contrast typical of Portuguese art. The Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament is full of ornate, gold-coated woodcarvings, spiral columns, and ceiling panels depicting Benedictine saints. On Sundays at 10 a.m., the monastery holds open Mass with Gregorian chants.