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When President James E. Faust, second counselor in the First Presidency, arrived in Porto Alegre as a young missionary, there were only six members of the Church in the city. One of them, Olga Bing Biehl, was baptized on Dec. 17, 1938, exactly 62 years before the dedication of the Porto Alegre Brazil Temple.
“For me, the Porto Alegre temple is a true miracle,” Bing said at the dedication. “Never did I think I would live to look upon a temple here during my lifetime.”
The Porto Alegre Brazil Temple was dedicated by Church President Gordon B. Hinckley on Dec. 17, 2000. Also in attendance was President Faust and Elder J. Kent Jolley, president of the Brazil South Area, which was later merged with the Brazil North Area in 2007.
Georgina Blind Mayer, a Latter-day Saint from Germany whose family immigrated to Brazil in the early 1900s, testified of the strong feelings she had inside the temple during the dedication. She said, “I do not have an explanation for the pure and sweet feelings I had in the temple today.”
Dedicatory prayer excerpt: “Let blessings of strength and vitality rest upon the temple president and his counselors, and upon the matron and her assistants. May a spirit of love be felt among them at all times. May Thy Spirit influence all who work here in any capacity. May they rejoice in the great opportunity that is theirs. Let Thy peaceful influence come upon the patrons, that all may rejoice in that which they do. Bless in ever-increasing numbers the Saints of this temple district, that they may qualify and keep themselves worthy to serve in Thy house.”
Read the dedicatory prayer of the Porto Alegre Brazil Temple here.
A temple for Porto Alegre, Brazil, was announced by Church President Gordon B. Hinckley on Sept. 30, 1997, during October general conference. It was one of five temples announced at the conference.
Ground was broken for the temple on May 2, 1998, with President James E. Faust, second counselor in the First Presidency, presiding. More than 3,500 people attended the groundbreaking ceremony.
The public was invited to tour the completed house of the Lord from Dec. 2 through Dec. 9, 2000. A total of 25,324 people attended the open house.
The Porto Alegre Brazil Temple was dedicated by President Hinckley on Dec. 17, 2000. Around 7,590 Church members attended at least one of the four dedicatory sessions.
Church President Gordon B. Hinckley announced a temple for Porto Alegre on Sept. 30, 1997. The groundbreaking ceremony for the temple was held on May 2, 1998, and a total of 25,324 people toured the temple during its open house from Dec. 2 through Dec. 9, 2000.
The Porto Alegre Brazil Temple was dedicated Dec. 17, 2000, by President Hinckley.
The 13,325-square-foot Porto Alegre Brazil Temple was built on 2 acres of land. It sits on a mountainside overlooking the city and the Guaíba River, and the grounds are populated by palm trees, flower beds and local vegetation.
The exterior is made of white granite from the Brazilian state of Ceará. The interior features two instruction rooms and two sealing rooms.
30 September 1997
17 December 2000
Rua General Salvador Pinheiro, 50
Vila Jardim
Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul
91320-240
Brazil
View schedule and book online
(55) 51-2104-2700
This was the third Latter-day Saint temple in Brazil.
Although announced six months after the Campinas Brazil Temple — which was announced on April 3, 1997 — the Porto Alegre Brazil Temple was dedicated around a year and a half earlier than the temple in Campinas.
The groundbreaking ceremonies for both the Campinas temple and the Porto Alegre temple took place within a day of each other, on May 1 and May 2, 1998, respectively.
Over 1,000 of the visitors who toured the temple during its open house requested a follow-up visit from full-time missionaries, and many of the requests also expressed a desire to be baptized a member of the Church.
The Porto Alegre Brazil Temple was the 34th and last house of the Lord dedicated in the year 2000.
The Recife Brazil Temple was dedicated two days before the temple in Porto Alegre.
Before the temple was dedicated, the closest Brazilian house of the Lord to Latter-day Saints in Porto Alegre — and other nearby areas in southern Brazil — was the São Paulo Brazil Temple, approximately 520 miles away.
This was the third Latter-day Saint temple in Brazil.
Although announced six months after the Campinas Brazil Temple — which was announced on April 3, 1997 — the Porto Alegre Brazil Temple was dedicated around a year and a half earlier than the temple in Campinas.
The groundbreaking ceremonies for both the Campinas temple and the Porto Alegre temple took place within a day of each other, on May 1 and May 2, 1998, respectively.
Over 1,000 of the visitors who toured the temple during its open house requested a follow-up visit from full-time missionaries, and many of the requests also expressed a desire to be baptized a member of the Church.
The Porto Alegre Brazil Temple was the 34th and last house of the Lord dedicated in the year 2000.
The Recife Brazil Temple was dedicated two days before the temple in Porto Alegre.
Before the temple was dedicated, the closest Brazilian house of the Lord to Latter-day Saints in Porto Alegre — and other nearby areas in southern Brazil — was the São Paulo Brazil Temple, approximately 520 miles away.