Lisbon Portugal Temple

Rendering of the Lisbon Portugal Temple. Image from Mormon Newsroom.

During the course of his remarks at the opening session of the 180th Semiannual General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on 2 October 2010, President Thomas S. Monson announced a new temple to be built in Lisbon, Portugal.

This will be the first temple to be built in Portugal, joining 13 others across Europe. The Saints of Portugal, organized into 6 stakes and 4 districts, currently attend the Madrid Spain Temple, approximately 390-mile (625-kilometer) drive from Lisbon.

Temple Site

According to LDS Church Temples.com:

The Lisbon Portugal Temple site sits in the northeastern section of the city near the modern parish of Parque das Nações (Nations' Park). Once a nondescript industrial area, the Parque das Nações neighborhood was redeveloped for the 1998 Lisbon World Exposition (known as Expo '98), featuring the theme (Os Oceanos, um Património para o Futuro) The Oceans, a Heritage for the Future. Today, Parque das Nações is a thriving hub of leisure, commercial, and residential activity on the Tagus River, boasting famed venues that include the Lisbon Oceanarium, the Vasco de Gama Tower, the twin São Gabriel and São Rafael towers, the Parque Das Nações Marina, the MEO Arena, the Vasco de Gama Center (shopping mall), and the Vasco de Gama Bridge. The area is beautified by volcano and waterfall fountains that can all be taken in from an overhead gondola lift.

As the temple site is located adjacent to the Moscavide station, transportation to and from the temple will be facilitated by the Lisbon Metro. The station opened in July 2012 in conjunction with the Encarnação and Aeroporto stations which expanded the line that serves the Lisbon Airport, situated just two miles west of the temple site.

In late December 2012, the Church acquired a plot of land inside Lisbon city limits for the Lisbon Portugal Temple, and on 7 January 2013, announced the acquisition publicly, however, the specific location for the temple site was not given at that time.

History of the Church in Portugal

The first Latter-day Saints in Portugal were members serving in the United States Armed Forces beginning in 1954. Following the bloodless military coup of April 1974, Church President Spencer W. Kimball, the twelfth President of the Church, visited Portugal and received confirmation that the Church would be recognized, and was given permission for Mormon missionaries to enter the country. In November 1974 the Portugal Lisbon Mission was formed with an initial four missionaries transferred from Brazil. Elder William Grant Bangerter of the Seventy arrived in Lisbon to preside over the newly created mission. The first Church meetings held in Portugal were held among United States Armed Forces stationed there, in the home of a Canadian embassy member.

By July 1975, there were 100 Portuguese Latter-day Saints, and by July 1978, membership had reached 1,000. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints currently reports that there are 42,861 members in six stakes and four districts, 74 congregations, and one mission, the Portugal Lisbon Mission. These congregations, called wards and branches, serve as the center for all local Church activities, including Sunday worship services, as well as classes for children, youth, young adults, men, and women. Weekday activities provide opportunities for additional instruction, social events, and cultural events such as dancing, musical and theatrical performances, and sports. As of 2014, there were over 40,000 Latter-day Saints in Portugal.

Groundbreaking Ceremony for Lisbon Portugal Temple

More than five years after President Thomas S. Monson announced plans for a temple in Lisbon, Portugal, the groundbreaking ceremony was held on Saturday, 5 December 2015, at 12:00 noon. Elder Patrick Kearon, President of the Europe Area, presided. Attendance at the ceremony was by invitation only, and the general public was invited to view the proceedings live from local meetinghouses.

In a video posted on Newsroom United Kingdom Elder Kearon remarked that the new temple will be "a great blessing for the Portuguese Saints." He further commented:

The Lisbon Temple groundbreaking is the culmination of years of hope and prayers and faith. It’s just a glorious moment for the 42,000 Latter-day Saints who live in Portugal. It is a privilege to take part in this joyful moment. The temple will be a bright symbol of our faith, our gratitude to our loving Father in Heaven and His Son, Jesus Christ. We pray for those who will be involved in building this sacred place, and know that it will be a blessing to the people of Portugal.

To have a temple in Portugal is a symbol of our growth, a symbol of our confidence in Portugal, in our Church, and in our people here. It will be a great symbol of our faith, and a beautiful part of this landscape for many decades to come.

Elder Joaquim J. Moreira, an Area Seventy, further commented, “In the temple we can perform ceremonies for this life and beyond. We can have eternal families and this is a blessing that our members have been waiting for a long time.”

The Pattern of the Lisbon Portugal Temple

The temple will have a limestone exterior and, following the pattern of most modern temples, the interior will feature artwork inspired by the local landscape. It will be built on 4.6 acres and will be approximately 23,730 square feet.

The temple site is located at Avenida Dom Jooo II, Parque das Nacoes, Lotes 4.72.1 e 4.73.1 Lisboa, Portugal. The temple district includes all Church members living in the continental Portugal, as well as the islands of the Azores and Madeira.