Campinas Brazil Temple

Dedication of the Campinas Brazil Temple

The Campinas Brazil Temple was a long time coming, as far as local Latter-day Saints were concerned. Early missionary Wayne M. Beck showed his confidence in the local members and the growth that would come to the Church in the Campinas area by donating the first $20 for the temple in Campinas. That was 51 years before the Campinas Brazil Temple was announced on April 3, 1997.

The house of the Lord was dedicated by President Gordon B. Hinckley, accompanied by President James E. Faust, who served as a missionary in Brazil from 1939 to 1942. The open house was attended by approximately 75,000 visitors over the course of the three and a half weeks the temple was open to the public.

The temple construction was delayed by local political unrest and violence, including the assassination of then-Mayor Antônio da Costa Santos who had been excited with the temple's construction. His successor as mayor of Campinas was Izalene Tiene, who visited the temple on the first day of the open house. The mayor was so impressed by the tour of the temple, she requested permission to visit the temple grounds from time to time as a place to have peace and reflect.

The temple stands on a rise by a highway as a beacon to the city. “It is brilliant,” Nei Tobias Garcia Jr., son of the first stake president of Campinas, said. “Its light in the dark night serves as a teaching that proclaims the truth.”

Dedicatory prayer excerpt: “Bless Thy Saints in this great nation of Brazil. As they walk in obedience before Thee, open the windows of heaven and shower down blessings upon them. May faith grow in the hearts of Thy people. May their testimonies never waiver. May they ever look to Thee with love and confidence.”

Read the dedicatory prayer of the Campinas Brazil Temple here.

The Campinas Brazil Temple was announced on April 3, 1997. Just over a year later, on May 1, 1998, the groundbreaking was presided over by President James E. Faust. The open house ran from April 20 to May 11, 2002, with over 75,000 people attending.

On May 17, 2002, the dedication was presided over by President Gordon B. Hinckley, and he was accompanied by President James E. Faust.

Architecture and Design of the Campinas Brazil Temple

The 49,100-square-foot Campinas Brazil Temple stands on a rise next to a highway on the outside of the city of Campinas. The temple, on 6.18 acres of land, contains four instruction rooms, three sealing rooms, a celestial room and a baptistry.

One prominent design element of the exterior of the temple is that of tall arches, such as before the entrance and around the windows. A rectangular spire on a square base sits atop the center of the building, with an arched window on each of the four sides, and a circular fountain adorns the area in front of the edifice.