Rio de Janeiro Brazil Temple Wiki

On Saturday, April 6, 2013, President Thomas S. Monson announced plans to construct the Rio de Janeiro Brazil Temple on the opening day of the April 2013 General Conference. A large concentration of Church members lived in the Rio de Janeiro region, but they traveled some 310 miles (500 km) to participate in temple work at the Campinas Brazil Temple.

The temple was announced concurrently with the Cedar City Utah Temple

Brazil Temples at the Time of Announcement

Announced

• –

Under Construction

• Fortaleza Brazil

Dedicated

• São Paulo Brazil [1978]
• Recife Brazil [2000]
• Porto Alegre Brazil [2000]
• Campinas Brazil [2002]
• Curitiba Brazil [2008]
• Manaus Brazil [2012]

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The groundbreaking ceremony for the Rio de Janeiro Brazil Temple was held on the same day as the groundbreaking ceremony for the Arequipa Peru Temple on 4 March 2017. Elder Claudio R. M. Costa, president of the Brazil Area, presided at the services. To prepare the site for groundbreaking, youth service projects were held to clear the land. “Today is a historic day for the Church in this city and in Brazil,” said Elder Costa. “Rio de Janeiro is a wonderful city, a city that welcomes all with open arms like the Christ Statue.”^[4]Jason Swensen, “Ground broken for future temples in South America,” Church News, 9 Mar. 2017.

A Media day was held Monday, 21 March 2022.

Invited guests toured the temple from Tuesday, 22 March 2022, through Friday, 25 March 2022. Elder Ulisses Soares of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and Elder Adilson de Paula Parrella, a General Authority Seventy, hosted the tours for invited guests.

In response to government guidelines that seek to limit the spread of COVID-19, the public open house and dedication of the Rio de Janeiro Brazil Temple were postponed until large public gatherings were deemed safe. Originally, the open house was to be held Friday, 17 April through Saturday, 2 May 2020. Nearly 21 months after releasing a schedule for the open house and dedication of the Rio de Janeiro Brazil Temple, the First Presidency announced a new open house and temple dedication schedule.

Elder Gary E. Stevenson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles dedicated the Rio de Janeiro Brazil Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Sunday, 8 May 2022.

He said, “Brazil now has eight temples and eight more on the way — either under construction or in the planning phase. Why? It’s the people here. Members congregate together, and the Lord blesses those members with a temple.”

He recalled the words of President Russell M. Nelson from four years ago when he said in general conference, “After we receive our own temple ordinances and make sacred covenants with God, each one of us needs the ongoing spiritual strengthening and tutoring that is possible only in the house of the Lord. And our ancestors need us to serve as proxy for them.”

As is customary during the first dedicatory session of a temple, the cornerstone of the temple was symbolically sealed by invited Church leaders, the new temple presidency and Primary children. Elder Stevenson said, “It is upon His foundation we are built. We can think of Jesus Christ as the cornerstone of our hearts.”

Elder Stevenson was joined by his wife, Sister Lesa Stevenson; Elder Carlos A. Godoy of the Presidency of the Seventy and his wife, Sister Mônica Godoy; Elder Benjamin De Hoyos, General Authority Seventy; and Elder Joni L. Koch of the Brazil Area presidency, and his wife, Sister Michele Koch.

Elder Stevenson further commented that the temple is the Church’s witness that Jesus Christ is indeed the Redeemer of the world. . . . temples are a symbol of Zion and the protection from the storm the Lord promises to those who build up the stakes of the Church.

^[9]”Apostle Dedicates the Rio De Janeiro House of the Lord,” The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints News Release, 8 May 2022.

Dedication Order

The Rio de Janeiro Brazil is the eighth dedicated temple in Brazil.

The Rio de Janeiro Brazil Temple and an adjoining meetinghouse are constructed on the property next to a nature reserve on Avenida das Américas in the Barra da Tijuca neighborhood. Barra is a beautiful development on the Atlantic Ocean that hosted most of the venues for the 2016 Summer Olympics. The Rio de Janeiro Temple is located at Avenida das Américas, #8547, in Barra da Tijuca.

The Rio de Janeiro Temple is part of a larger Church complex that includes a full-size meetinghouse and shared parking. The buildings were designed to complement one another, with the temple being the premier structure. The temple was also designed to fit well with the surrounding architecture in Barra da Tijuca, with an Art Deco influence. Rio de Janeiro is considered the Art Deco Capital of South America.

It is fitting that the exterior of this temple’s concrete structure is covered with “Branco Ceará” granite quarried in northeastern Brazil. This is Brazil’s whitest and most uniform granite, and the same stone has also been used on several other temples, including the Recife, Campinas and Fortaleza Brazil temples and the Trujillo Peru temple.

The strong, simple, and symmetrical design of the exterior focuses on the entablature and window surroundings composed of carved stone representing the Art Deco arches motif. The beautiful single spire rises over 140 feet high and is topped by the gilded statue of the ancient prophet Moroni.

The site and landscape design derived from local horticulture and plants native to the region. In addition to shrubs, flowering perennials, vines and ground covers, there are 129 palms, 33 flowering trees, and 18 shade trees of numerous varieties and sizes. Architects selected trees and plants that would thrive in the local climate while meeting standards for maintenance and appearance. Interior walkways surrounding the temple and connecting to the adjacent chapel are built with stone pavers of Brazilian granite.

The fountain is constructed of Branco Ceará stone and white bronze nozzles. The fountain spray pattern recalls the fountain pattern found in the carved stone and the art glass patterns.

Cladding

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Water Course

Windows

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Spandrel panel

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