Lisbon Portugal Temple
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.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announced that acquisition of land within the Lisbon city limits had been finalized for construction of the temple on 7 January 2013. However, the specific location for the site was not given at that time.
History of the Church in Portugal
In 1974, Spencer W. Kimball, the twelfth President of the Church, visited Portugal and received confirmation that the Church would be recognized, and that missionary work was to begin in the country. In November 1974, Elder William Grant Bangerter of the Seventy arrived in Lisbon to preside over the newly created Portugal Lisbon Mission. Four missionaries were transferred from a mission in Brazil to start the work. 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.
Groundbreaking for Lisbon Portugal Temple
On 22 October 2015, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announced that the Lisbon Portugal Temple groundbreaking will take place on 5 December 2015, at 12:00 noon. The temple site is located at Avenida Dom João II, 1990-364 Moscavide, Lisboa. Attendance at the ceremony is by invitation only, with the general public being invited to view the proceedings live from local meetinghouses.
