Monastery of São Martinho de Tibães

Why go

Braga's municipal tourism site says the Benedictine monastery was founded in the 11th century, received a charter of immunity (carta de couto) in 1110 from Count Henry and Teresa, became in 1567 the mother house of the Congregation of São Bento of Portugal and Brazil, and was rebuilt from the first half of the 17th century in campaigns that moved from Mannerism to Baroque and Rococo. It lists what the monastery takes in today: the church, the Portaria da Senhora do Pilar, the Sala do Recibo, the guesthouse, the library, the chapter house and the cemetery cloister, and it has a separate page for the monastery's walled grounds (cerca). The same site says group visits must be booked in advance by phone or email. The monastery's own site did not answer this session, so who runs it and its own entry rules are not stated here.