Palace of São Bento

The Palace of São Bento is the seat of the Portuguese parliament, the Assembly of the Republic, occupying a former Benedictine monastery in Lisbon. After the dissolution of religious orders in the nineteenth century, the vast complex was converted for legislative use and given a grand neoclassical facade with a wide flight of steps. The main chamber sits within a domed hall, and marble statues line the ceremonial stairways. Guided tours run on select days, and the adjoining residence of the Prime Minister lies within the same walled grounds.