Salvador Brazil Temple
On 7 October 2018, at the end of the 188th semiannual general conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, President Russell M. Nelson announced plans to construct the Salvador Brazil Temple. The Salvador Brazil Temple will be the eleventh temple built in Brazil. Salvador is currently in the Recife Brazil Temple district, with that temple located a little more than 500 miles away.
The name "Salvador" literally means Savior in both Portuguese and Spanish. Brazil is the country with the third most Latter-day Saints at more than 1.4 million members. It is also the home to two Latter-day Saint missions. There are 277 stakes, more than 2,100 congregations, and 36 missions in the country of Brazil.
Formerly known as São Salvador de Bahia de Todos os Santos (Holy Savior of the Bay of All Saints), Salvador was founded in 1549 by the Portuguese as the first capital of Brazil and is one of oldest colonial cities in the Americas. Located along Brazil’s northeastern coast, it is the country’s fourth-largest city.
At the time of the announcement, there were six dedicated temples in Brazil: São Paulo Brazil Temple, Recife Brazil Temple, Porto Alegre Brazil Temple, Campinas Brazil Temple, Curitiba Brazil Temple, and Manaus Brazil Temple. The Fortaleza Brazil Temple and Rio de Janeiro Brazil Temple were under construction. Plans have been announced for the Belém Brazil Temple, Belo Horizonte Brazil Temple, Brasília Brazil Temple, Maceio Brazil Temple, Santos Brazil Temple, and São Paulo East Brazil Temple.
The Saints of Salvador currently make a journey of 500 miles (800 km), an equivalent of 11 hours, to participate in temple ordinances at the Recife Brazil Temple.
The Salvador Brazil Temple will be located on a bluff overlooking Av. Luís Viana (also known as Av. Paralela) in the Patamares neighborhood of Salvador. Its highly accessible location on the main avenue through the state of Bahia is located less than 5 miles from the Luís Eduardo Magalhães International Airport and less than a half mile from the Bairro da Paz subway station.
On 4 May 2021, an official exterior rendering was released for the Salvador Brazil Temple.
Contents
Groundbreaking Ceremony Announced for the Salvador Brazil Temple
The First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has announced that the Salvador Brazil Temple groundbreaking will be held in August 2021.
Elder Adilson de Paula Parrella, president of the Brazil Area, will preside at the event. Attendance at the temple site will be by invitation only in accordance with local COVID-19 guidelines. Photos will be available after the event.
Groundbreaking Ceremony is Held for the Salvador Brazil Temple
A group of leaders and members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints joined local leaders and friends in Salvador, Brazil, on Saturday, 7 August 2021, to break ground for the Salvador Brazil Temple.
Elder Adilson de Paula Parrella, president of the Church’s Brazil Area, presided over the event and Elder Joni L. Koch, first counselor in the area presidency, offered the dedicatory prayer.
In his dedicatory prayer, Elder Koch prayed, "We recognize this city, whose name 'Salvador' refers to your Son. May the construction of this holy house on the mountaintop be an expression of the privilege that it is to have one in our lives. . . .May the construction of this house symbolize, for everyone here and around the world, a testimony of Thy greatness and the certainty of eternal life."
In his remarks, Elder Parrella said: "The word 'temple' literally means 'house of the Lord.'. . . .We can be blessed by that house."
He further explained that in temples, sacred ceremonies are performed, and when those attending the temple need to communicate, they whisper. He said, "This is a sign and a message. Not for other people, but for God. A sign that we recognize that we are treading on sacred ground. Temples are built to perform the most sacred ordinances a child of God can receive on this earth."
COVID-19 pandemic precautions limited the number of people who could be present at the site. Elder Parrella and his wife, Sister Elaine Parrella, were joined by a small number of guests and local Church leaders. Others present included Elder Koch and his wife, Sister Michele Koch; Elder Juan A. Uceda, second counselor in the Brazil Area presidency, and his wife, Sister Maria Isabel Uceda; Bruno Reis, the mayor of Salvador; and other government leaders.
Sister Parrella commented, "With the construction of this temple, we can see the love that the Savior has for the Church's members here. She added: "I feel the Savior's love every week I go to the temple. I feel help from heaven and angels. I feel peace and tranquility, even in the midst of challenges."
Temples in Brazil
- Belém Brazil Temple
- Belo Horizonte Brazil Temple
- Brasília Brazil Temple
- Campinas Brazil Temple
- Curitiba Brazil Temple
- Florianópolis Brazil Temple
- Fortaleza Brazil Temple
- Goiânia Brazil Temple
- João Pessoa Brazil Temple
- Londrina Brazil Temple
- Maceió Brazil Temple
- Manaus Brazil Temple
- Natal Brazil Temple
- Porto Alegre Brazil Temple
- Recife Brazil Temple
- Ribeirão Preto Brazil Temple
- Rio de Janeiro Brazil Temple
- Salvador Brazil Temple
- São Paulo Brazil Temple
- São Paulo East Brazil Temple
- Santos Brazil Temple
- Teresina Brazil Temple
- Vitória Brazil Temple
