Monastery of Santo Tirso (or also Monastery of São Bento) is a monastery located in the parish of Santo Tirso, municipality of

Santo Tirso Santo Tirso () is a city and municipality located in the north of Porto Metropolitan Area, 25 km from central Porto, Portugal. In the region, the Ave Valley, there is a large center of textile industry. The population in 2011 was 71,530, in ...

, in Portugal, that was of the

Benedictine Order , image = Medalla San Benito.PNG , caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal , abbreviation = OSB , formation = , motto = (English: 'Pray and Work') , foun ...

. The monastery was founded in 978 by Unisco Godins, wife of

Aboazar Lovesendes Aboazar Lovesendes (died after 978) was a lord (''domno'') in the County of Portugal in the Kingdom of León in the middle decades of the tenth century. He is the ancestor of the lords of Maia.{{sfn, Almeida Fernandes, 2001, pp=77–79 Aboazar's ...

, first lord of

Maia Maia (; Ancient Greek: Μαῖα; also spelled Maie, ; la, Maia), in ancient Greek religion and mythology, is one of the Pleiades and the mother of Hermes, one of the major Greek gods, by Zeus, the king of Olympus. Family Maia is the daugh ...

and ancestor of this

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

. On 23 November 1097, count Henrique and his wife

Teresa Teresa (also Theresa, Therese; french: Thérèse) is a feminine given name. It originates in the Iberian Peninsula in late antiquity. Its derivation is uncertain, it may be derived from Greek θερίζω (''therízō'') "to harvest or re ...

donated land, defining the boundaries, and other properties to Soeiro Mendes da Maia, a descendant of Unisco and Abunazar. Soeiro, in turn, on 23 March 1098 donated these properties to the Abbot of the monastery, Gaudemiro, making the monastery one of the richest and relevant in the country. It was awarded Bulls of protection by the Popes

Innocent III Pope Innocent III ( la, Innocentius III; 1160 or 1161 – 16 July 1216), born Lotario dei Conti di Segni (anglicized as Lothar of Segni), was the head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 8 January 1198 to his death in 16 J ...

and

Honorius III Pope Honorius III (c. 1150 – 18 March 1227), born Cencio Savelli, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 18 July 1216 to his death. A canon at the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore, he came to hold a number of import ...

. The original monastic church was built in 978. It was replaced by another one in 1090, which, in turn, was replaced by another one built in the early 14th century with the funds donated for its construction by Martim Gil de Riba de Vizela,

Count of Barcelos Count of Barcelos (in Portuguese ''Conde de Barcelos'') is a title of nobility, the first to be granted in Portugal. It was created in 1298 by king Denis I and initially it was a non hereditary title, although most of the holders belonged to the ...

. From this church there are some archaeological remains. On 15 October 1385, and 6, 7 August of 1409 the monastery was visited by King

John I of Portugal John I ( pt, João �uˈɐ̃w̃ 11 April 1357 – 14 August 1433), also called John of Aviz, was King of Portugal from 1385 until his death in 1433. He is recognized chiefly for his role in Portugal's victory in a succession war with Casti ...

. The present church was built in 1659–79, with a project by Br. João Turriano, son of a Milanese architect, Leonardo Turriano. It has a processional Latin cross and a single nave. The facade has three niches in which are housed the sculptures of Santo Tirso in the center, flanked by S. Bento and Santa Escolástica. In the tympanum is inscribed the date of 1679 that, hypothetically, represents the term of the construction of the church. The monastery owned lands and other assets that had been donated by members of the nobility, particularly by the Maias, the founding family, until the 19th century, when im 1834 the State expropriated the properties of the religious orders and closed the monasteries. On 11 May of that year, 46 days after the removal of the monks of S. Bento, the Interim Municipal Commission of the future municipality of Santo Tirso was taken over, which would be based in one of the monastery buildings. After secularization the monastery was divided; one part for private individuals, the other for public offices (Town Hall – in the old convent inns, the Court and Administration of the county) and the Conde S. Bento Agricultural Asylum, and one last part for parish residence. The monastery has been classified as a National Monument since 1982.

References

Bibliography

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External links

Monastery of Santo Tirso, Portugal
YouTube video of monastery
Mosteiro de São Bento / Mosteiro de Santo Tirso
description and location map at all about Portugal {{Coord, 41, 20, 42.1, N, 8, 28, 18.5, W, type:adm1st_region:PT_dim:100000, display=inline,title 978 establishments 10th-century establishments in Portugal Religious organizations established in the 970s Christian monasteries established in the 10th century Benedictine monasteries in Portugal Gothic architecture in Portugal

Porto Porto or Oporto () is the second-largest city in Portugal, the capital of the Porto District, and one of the Iberian Peninsula's major urban areas. Porto city proper, which is the entire municipality of Porto, is small compared to its metropol ...

Norte Region Roman Catholic monasteries in Portugal National monuments in Porto District