EnglishChurch of Our Lady of the Mount
Olinda, Pernambuco, Brazil
Religious Architecture
In the second half of the 16th century, a chapel was built on a hill near the town of Olinda and a hermit established himself with due authorisation from the government. Benedictine monks arrived in the area near the end of that century and in 1596 took charge of the small chapel, which they enlarged at an unknown date. The resulting church preserves an excellent Mannerist doorway, perhaps from the previous chapel. Inside, a rococo altarpiece indicates one of the stages of the chancel’s construction. An image of the patron saint, perhaps from the 16th century, along with others surely from the next century, remains in the present-day church. Next to it, a retreat was built by the Benedictines. The complex has kept its isolated position in the landscape and is currently occupied by Benedictine nuns.