The Monastery of St. Benedict is a historic monastery located on the hill of St. Benedict, in downtown Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. This monument is considered one of the main exponents of colonial art in the city and the country. It is located in front of Cobras Island and near Mauá Square.

Founded by Benedictine monks who arrived in Bahia in 1590, the monastery was built on land donated by the nobles Manoel de Brito and his son Diogo de Brito de Lacerda, which included the San Benito hill. The resources for its construction came from the income generated by the production of sugar cane in the properties donated to the monks, especially in the regions of Nova Iguaçu and Campos dos Goytacazes.

The building was built by slaves and the stones used were extracted from the Viuda hill, in the Flamengo district. The original plans, drawn in 1617 by the Portuguese military engineer Francisco Frias de Mesquita, followed the mannerist aesthetics of the time. Construction began in 1633, although it underwent modifications during its development, expanding from one nave to three under the direction of the architect Frei Bernardo de San Benito. The monastery was completed in 1755 with the construction of the cloister, designed by the engineer José Fernandes Pinto Alpoim.

The façade follows a mannerist style with three entrance arches and a triangular pediment, flanked by two towers crowned with pyramidal pinnacles. Behind the arches is a gallery with tiles and iron gates from the 19th century.

The interior is highly ornate, with gilded carvings ranging from 17th century baroque to 18th century rococo. Portuguese monk Frei Domingo de la Conceição was the first sculptor to work on the church, designing and sculpting part of the nave and apse. It also has statues of Saint Benedict, Saint Scholastica and Our Lady of Monte Serreado, among others.

Between 1789 and 1800, the rococo sculptor Inácio Ferreira Pinto remade the apse, preserving some earlier details, such as the paintings on the life of Benedictine saints made by the German monk Ricardo do Pilar between 1676 and 1684. Inácio was also responsible for the rococo chapel of the Blessed Sacrament. In the sacristy is Frei Ricardo's masterpiece, a painting of the Lord of Martyrdom.

The church houses seven side chapels, dedicated to Our Lady of the Conceição, Saint Lourenço, Saint Gertrudes, Saint Brás, Saint Caetano, Our Lady of the Pillar and Saint Amaro.