Groundbreaking of the Ribeirão Preto Brazil Temple
Ground was broken for the Ribeirão Preto Brazil Temple on June 22, 2024, with Elder Joni L. Koch — General Authority Seventy and president of the Brazil Area — presiding. He spoke of serving as a full-time missionary in Ribeirão Preto 44 years earlier and being welcomed by many local Latter-day Saints. He also paid tribute to the early and longtime Saints in the Ribeirão Preto area in the southeast region of Brazil.
In his dedicatory prayer of the site, Elder Koch said, “We remember with appreciation those who were the first members of the Church in this region. The example of these pioneers has been a moral and spiritual support for Thy kingdom to flourish from these few who stood firm so that thousands of Latter-day Saints could on this day — here in this part of the earth — enjoy this sublime moment.”
Timeline of the Ribeirão Preto Brazil Temple
The Ribeirão Preto Brazil Temple was announced by Church President Russell M. Nelson on Oct. 2, 2022. Almost two years later, ground was broken for the temple on June 22, 2024, with Elder Joni L. Koch presiding.
Architecture and Design of the Ribeirão Preto Brazil Temple
According to site plans released by the Church on Nov. 28, 2022, the Ribeirão Preto Brazil Temple will be a single-story building of approximately 32,000 square feet. The edifice will be built at Avenida Antonio Marcal and Rua Jose Brandani.
Architectural renderings of the house of the Lord released by the Church on Jan. 8, 2024, show an off-white exterior surrounded by vertical frosted windows. A five-level tower topped by a pyramidal dome with a needle pointing to the sky stands above the center of the building. Native and palm trees, shrubs, grass fields and flower gardens adorn the grounds.