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 almost 1.5 million members. There are 285 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. Currently, a total of 23 temples are operating, under construction, or announced in Brazil.

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. The sacred structure is 29,963 square feet in size and sits on 4.6 acres.

Groundbreaking Ceremony Held for the Salvador Brazil Temple

Latter-day Saints and local government representatives from Salvador — including the city’s mayor, Bruno Reis, fourth from left, and Elder Adilson de Paula Parrella, fifth from left, participate in the groundbreaking of the Salvador Brazil Temple on Saturday, 7 August 2021. Credit: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

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."

Open House

The Salvador Brazil Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints opened its doors with a news conference on Monday, August 19, 2024, in Salvador, Brazil.

Media, invited guests, and government officials participated in the event as well as Elder Ulisses Soares, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

The Brazil Area Presidency (Elders Joni L. Koch, Ciro Schmeil, and Mark D. Eddy) attended the media event and participated in the tours of the temple.

The Salvador Brazil Temple was opened for free public tours from Thursday, August 22, through Saturday, September 7, 2024 (excluding Sundays). Invited guests toured the temple prior to the open house on Tuesday and Wednesday, August 20–21, 2024.

Dedication

The Salvador Brazil Temple was dedicated on Sunday, October 20, 2024, by Elder Neil L. Andersen of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. Elder Andersen said the significance of having a temple in a city named for the Savior ("Salvador" translates in English to “Savior”) is less important than having the temple dedicated in a place where “so many wonderful people have the Savior — ‘Salvador’ — written in their hearts.”

“Members of the Church here are full of love for God — their Father — and Jesus Christ and are willing to serve others in keeping the first and second commandments,” Elder Andersen said.

The temple was dedicated in two sessions at 10:00 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. UTC, the last temple to hold two dedicatory sessions. The sessions were broadcast to all units in the Salvador Brazil Temple district.

Elder Andersen was accompanied by his wife, Kathy; Elder Mathias Held, General Authority Seventy an assistant executive director in the Temple Department, and his wife, Irene; and Elder Ciro Schmeil, General Authority Seventy and First Counselor in the Brazil Area Presidency, and his wife, Alessandra.

The Salvador house of the Lord is a concrete-clad structure with decorative stone from Brazil. The art glass windows feature the red mandacarú flower, which is native to the region. It is the 199th operating temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.