Mosteiro de São Bento (Salvador)

The Mosteiro de São Bento da Bahia, archabbey of São Sebastião, is the oldest Benedictine monastery in the Americas. The first monks, who came from Portugal, arrived in Salvador (Bahia, Brazil) in 1582 and settled on a hill near the original city. From there, the foundations of Olinda, Rio de Janeiro, and São Paulo were established.

The community numbers around thirty members. Masses with Gregorian chant are open to the public in the basilica, on weekdays and Sundays. The monastery holds a collection of more than 5,000 pieces of sacred art, a library, and a restoration laboratory, operates a bookstore, and runs the Colégio São Bento. Sources do not describe a guest house.