Description of the attraction
Previously, on the site of the São Bento palace, there was a Benedictine monastery. At the beginning of the 17th century, through the efforts of the monks of this monastery, a shelter for the sick and the poor was founded. The construction of the new monastery began at the beginning of the 18th century in the mannerism style by the architect Baltazar Alvarez, and a little later the construction was continued by his follower Juan Turriano. The building was rectangular and very large. In addition, a church was built, which was adjoined by towers, galleries and other living quarters. When the construction work was almost completed, in 1755 the terrible Lisbon earthquake struck, which severely damaged the building.
After the revolution in 1820 and the prohibition of religious orders in Portugal in 1834, the monks were forced out of the monastery. The building houses the Parliament of Portugal. From that moment on, the premises began to be remodeled. The first meeting rooms for Parliament were built according to the design of the architect Possidonio da Silva. In 1867, the former prayer house of the monks was completely rebuilt by the French architect Jean François Colson into a meeting room. The Portuguese Senate (upper house) very often met in this room until 1976, when a unicameral parliamentary system was created. In 1895, a fire destroyed the conference room of the lower house, and a new building was built for it. The facade of the building was also modified: a neoclassical gallery with columns and a triangular pediment were added, the atrium and a monumental internal staircase were rebuilt, and many other rooms were altered. Not far from the palace is the residence of the Prime Minister of Portugal.
After the Revolution of 1974, the square in front of the palace became a favorite place for demonstrations in Lisbon.
