Founded in February 1922 as the Apostolic School of Baturité, the Monastery was born to welcome young Jesuits from humble families in the countryside of Ceará, Pernambuco and Piauí.
1921
On the night of April 13, at the Episcopal Palace of Fortaleza, Commander Ananias Arruda met by chance Father Antônio de Oliveira Pinto, provincial of the Society of Jesus in northern Brazil, and persuaded him to visit the Sítio Olho D'Água, in Baturité, as a site for the future Apostolic School.
1922
The property was acquired and donated to the Jesuits with the support of the family of Ananias Arruda, who also provided all the lime for the works. On December 3, Dom Manuel da Silva Gomes, Archbishop of Fortaleza, blessed the foundation stone, taken from the ruins of the old Jesuit Church of Aquiraz, demolished in 1748. Together with it, a time capsule was sealed, holding coins, a copy of the newspaper A Verdade and a parchment bearing the historical record of the ceremony.
1923
Work began on January 3 under the direction of Ananias Arruda, following the design of a renowned engineer from São Paulo, on a plot measuring 110 metres across the front by 78 metres deep. Dona Libânia de Holanda made a decisive contribution, and Father Pinto travelled across Brazil raising funds. In the original design, the school would have been twice its current size.
1927
On August 15, with the side wing of the building completed, the Apostolic School of the Jesuit Fathers of Baturité was solemnly inaugurated with the blessing of its premises and an open-air Mass. Over time, the imposing structure, the age and the religious character of the house would make it known as the Mosteiro dos Jesuítas — the Monastery of the Jesuits.
1963
The former Apostolic School began a new mission: it became a retreat house welcoming groups and couples, a vocation it keeps to this day.
2022
The Monastery celebrated 100 years. Before the centenary monument, bearing the image of Saint Ignatius, a new time capsule was placed in the garden, to be opened a century from now, echoing the capsule sealed with the foundation stone in 1922.
Today
The Monastery remains alive as a space for visitation, prayer and retreats, under the direction of the Jesuit priest Eugênio Pacelli, assisted by Father Djailton Oliveira.
From its privileged vantage point, the house looks out over the dawn and a panorama that embraces the Açude de Vazante reservoir, the Pedra Aguda, the Serra do Tamanco, the monument to Our Lady of Fátima, the Cruzeiro (the great Cross) and the town of Baturité.
The wide corridors and high ceilings are no accident: they were built on purpose, so that those who lived in the house would feel as much at ease as in the generous nature that surrounds it.
Look closely at the small holes scattered across the stone façade: they are the marks left by the bamboo poles used as scaffolding to support the building during its construction.
Born in Ibiapina, Ceará, on September 22, 1964, Eugênio Pacelli Correia Aguiar discovered his religious vocation in the Society of Jesus. His formation took him through Fortaleza, Salvador, Belo Horizonte, João Pessoa, Recife, Chile and Spain. He was ordained a priest on July 20, 1996, in his hometown, the first priest ordained by Dom Javier Arnedo, Bishop of Tianguá.
He served as parish priest of the Parish of Cristo Rei in Fortaleza, and as director of Colégio Nóbrega in Recife and Colégio Santo Inácio in Fortaleza. He is the founder of the Amare movement, which brings together more than a thousand couples, and the creator of the Night of Mercy (Noite da Misericórdia).
He is the author of four books: Encontros com a Misericórdia, Em Jesus Deus abraça o sofrimento humano, Mensagens de Fé e Esperança em tempos de Covid and Unidos no Senhor!, his most recent work, published in 2025 by Edições Loyola, born of the gatherings of the Amare movement and dedicated to the beauty of married life.
No booking required · Wheelchair accessible · Pet friendly · Masses open to the public
The Monastery welcomes retreats and also receives guests and groups when no retreat is taking place. For lodging reservations, get in touch with the Monastery via WhatsApp. For retreats, fill in your pre-registration below: once you send it, WhatsApp will open with your message ready — just confirm it.
The Monastery is one of the stops on the Green Coffee Route (Rota Verde do Café), an itinerary that traces the coffee-growing tradition of the Maciço de Baturité highlands. On the Monastery's lands, the Fazenda Caridade — which bears the same name as one of the estates acquired in 1922 — still produces coffee and bananas.
Since 2022, a coffee shop has welcomed visitors with products made from the region's coffee. Be sure to try it before you leave.
Just a few steps from the house, the mountains hold other spots well worth a visit.
The stairway, opened in 1958, features the 14 Stations of the Cross along the climb
Follow the daily life of the Monastery at @mosteirodosjesuitas.
WhatsApp service · Tuesday to Sunday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
