Temple Open Houses Commence in Argentina and Brazil

Mendoza Argentina

The public open house for the Mendoza Argentina Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints begins this week.

Media attended a news conference and tour of the temple on Monday, August 19, 2024. Those participating in the event included the South America South Area Presidency (Elders Joaquin E. Costa, President, Alan R. Walker and Eduardo Gavarret).

Elder Costa welcomed the media and invited guests by saying, “We are happy to be with you at this open house event. This temple is a symbol of love. I hope you feel the love we have for Jesus Christ.”

"We are happy on this special day. We consider temples as the house of the Lord. He invites us to feel His love in the temples... We want to invite all our friends to come and see," said Elder Alan R. Walker. 

Elder Eduardo Gavarret, emphasized that the temple is a blessing for both the community and the members of the Church. 

The public open house will be held from Thursday, August 22, through Saturday, September 7, excluding Sundays. Tickets are not needed for the tours. Admission is free.

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About the Mendoza Argentina Temple

The Mendoza Argentina Temple, located in the western part of the country, was announced by President Russell M. Nelson in October 2018. The sacred structure is 21,999 square feet in size and sits on 15 acres. The ground was broken for the temple on December 17, 2020.

Elder Gary E. Stevenson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles will dedicate the temple in two sessions on Sunday, September 22, 2024. The dedicatory sessions at 10 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. UTC will be broadcast to all units in the Mendoza Argentina Temple district.

The Mendoza house of the Lord is made of concrete and structural steel and clad with Moleanos limestone quarried in Portugal. The art glass windows feature the jarilla flower, which is native to the region.

When dedicated, the Mendoza Argentina Temple will become the 197th operating temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the fourth house of the Lord completed in Argentina. The other functioning temples are in Buenos Aires, first dedicated in January of 1986; Córdoba, completed in 2015; and Salta, which was dedicated in June of this year. The Bahía Blanca Argentina Temple is under construction, with additional temples announced and in the planning stages for Rosario and a second temple in Buenos Aires.

Salvador Brazil

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 public open house will be held from Thursday, August 22, through Saturday, September 7, excluding Sundays. Tickets are not needed for the tours. Admission is free.

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About the Salvador Brazil Temple 

The Salvador Brazil Temple, located on the eastern coast of Brazil, was announced by President Russell M. Nelson in October 2018. The sacred structure is 29,963 square feet in size and sits on 4.6 acres. The ground was broken for the temple on August 7, 2021. 

The temple will be dedicated on Sunday, October 20, 2024. Elder Neil L. Andersen of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles will dedicate the temple in two sessions at 10:00 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. UTC. 

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. 

When dedicated, the Salvador Brazil Temple will become the 200th operating temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the 11th house of the Lord completed in Brazil. Other functioning temples in Brazil include the Belém, Brasília, Campinas, Curitiba, Fortaleza, Manaus, Porto Alegre, Recife, Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo temples. The Belo Horizonte and Ribeirão Preto temples are under construction, and the groundbreaking ceremony to begin construction on the Londrina Brazil Temple occurred last Saturday, August 17. Additional temples have been announced and are in the planning stages in Florianópolis, Goiânia, João Pessoa, Maceió, Natal, Santos, São Paulo East, Teresina and Vitória.