Description of the attraction
The Dominican monastery and church are located in the San Sebastian district of the Braga district in the municipality of Guimaraes.
Guimaraes is considered the cradle of Portugal, as at one time it became the first capital of the newly created Kingdom of Portugal, and was also the birthplace of the first king of Portugal, Afonso Henriques. In addition, Guimaraes is famous for the fact that the famous poet and playwright Gil Vicente was born here.
In Guimaraes, in the area of the old town, there are many historical monuments, among which the Dominican monastery is worth mentioning. According to some unconfirmed reports, this ancient monastery was built at the end of the 16th century through the prayers of the martyr Sebastian. Therefore, on the territory of the monastery there is a church in honor of this saint. There is another suggestion that the monastery was founded by the monk Sebastian from the Dominican monastery in Viana do Castelo.
The building that we see today belongs to the architecture of the 18th century. On the territory of the monastery there is the Church of St. Sebastian, built in 1734. Inside the church, one nave, attracts the attention of visitors with a Baroque organ, built in 1776, as well as gilded altars and an altar of the 20th century with the image of St. Sebastian.
