Local power between ora et labora: the benedictine house in the plots of seventeenth-century Rio de Janeiro

Abstract

In the early seventeenth century, the Benedictine monks settled in Portuguese America. The monasteries acquired plantations, slaves, farms and buildings in urban areas, through reciprocity with other vassals and institutions. The article discusses the inclusion of the Benedictine institution in seventeenth century Rio de Janeiro and the relationships beyond the cloister, demonstrating how the monastic family was part of the local elite.

Saint Benedict's Monastery; material and immaterial insertion; religious elite