São Bento Palace was built in 1598 by the order of Saint Benedict, lead by Baltazar de Braga, according to the design of Baltazar Álvares. The building became known as São Bento da Saúde Monastery.
In 1833, the religious orders were made extinct in Portugal, making the monastery property of the State. It then became a Palace of the Courts, a function that it still plays to this day with the name of Assembly of the Republic.
Today, the Palace not only houses the Assembly of the Republic, it also houses Passos Manuel Library and the Parliamentary Historical Archives. It is possible to visit it, taking a tour through some of its most emblematic rooms, such as the Session Rooms, the Senate, and the friars’ refectory, which evokes past memories from the monastery.