Where It's Located
The Santos Brazil Temple is being built at:
Avenida Doutor Waldemar Leão, 305
Jabaquara
Santos–SP, Brazil
The temple will occupy the site of the existing Jabaquara Ward meetinghouse in the Jabaquara neighborhood of Santos.
Santos is a major port city on Brazil's southeastern coast in the state of São Paulo. It is located along the Atlantic Ocean and is part of the larger São Paulo metropolitan region.
Getting There
International travelers will generally fly into São Paulo before traveling to Santos.
Santos is connected to São Paulo by major highways, making it relatively easy to travel between the two cities.
Because the temple is still under construction, there is currently no temple operating schedule or public interior access.
A Bit of History
The Santos Brazil Temple was announced on April 3, 2022, by President Russell M. Nelson during the April 2022 General Conference.
At the time of its announcement, it was planned as the 16th temple in Brazil.
Brazil already had a substantial network of temples, with dedicated temples in cities including:
- Campinas
- Curitiba
- Fortaleza
- Manaus
- Porto Alegre
- Recife
- São Paulo
The Santos Temple continues the remarkable expansion of temple access throughout Brazil.
The Church in Brazil
Brazil has one of the largest Latter-day Saint populations in the world.
At the time the Santos Temple was announced, Brazil had approximately 1.5 million Latter-day Saints in more than 2,100 congregations.
The enormous geographic size of Brazil makes additional temples particularly important.
Rather than requiring members to travel hundreds of miles to another city, additional temples allow more members to have a temple within a manageable distance.
Temple Site
The temple location was officially announced on November 28, 2022.
The Church selected the property occupied by the Jabaquara Ward meetinghouse at Avenida Doutor Waldemar Leão, 305.
The future temple will have approximately 23,000 square feet (2,137 square meters) of floor space.
Groundbreaking and Construction
The groundbreaking and site-dedication ceremony took place on August 1, 2026.
Elder Ronald M. Barcellos of the Seventy, serving in the Brazil Area Presidency, presided over the ceremony.
The ceremony was held at the Jabaquara Ward meetinghouse on the same property where the new temple will be constructed.
Elder Barcellos described the future temple as a project that would bring "glorious blessings" to thousands of people throughout the region.
Current Status
The Santos Brazil Temple is now officially under construction.
The latest milestones are:
- Announcement: April 3, 2022
- Site announced: November 28, 2022
- Official rendering: May 26, 2026
- Groundbreaking: August 1, 2026
- Construction: Underway
- Open house: Not announced
- Dedication: Not announced
The groundbreaking is particularly recent, meaning construction is only beginning.
Temple Rendering
The official rendering of the Santos Brazil Temple was released on May 26, 2026, alongside the announcement of the groundbreaking.
The rendering gives the public its first official look at the planned appearance of the temple.
Architecture
The Santos Brazil Temple will contain approximately 23,000 square feet of floor space.
Its most prominent architectural feature will be a single attached central spire.
The temple's relatively compact size reflects the modern trend toward building smaller temples that can efficiently serve established Latter-day Saint populations.
A Temple for Coastal São Paulo
The location in Santos is particularly interesting because the city is one of Brazil's most important coastal centers.
Santos is famous for its enormous port, beaches, historic architecture, and connection to São Paulo.
The temple will provide a new spiritual center for Latter-day Saints living in Santos and surrounding communities along the coast.
Santos and São Paulo
Santos is located roughly 40 miles southeast of central São Paulo.
That makes the temple accessible not only to members in Santos but potentially to members throughout the coastal region and parts of the massive São Paulo urban area.
The temple will also complement the existing São Paulo Brazil Temple and the planned São Paulo East Temple.
This gives the broader São Paulo region an increasingly dense network of temples.
Exploring Santos
Santos is one of Brazil's most interesting coastal cities.
Its long waterfront is famous for its extensive beach gardens, which run alongside the city's beaches.
Visitors can explore:
- Santos Beach
- Orquidário Municipal
- Monte Serrat
- Santos Historic Center
- Coffee Museum
- Pelé Museum
- Santos Port
- Historic churches and colonial architecture
The city's combination of beaches, history, and maritime culture makes it an attractive destination for travelers.
Santos' Historic Center
Santos has a fascinating historic center filled with buildings dating from Brazil's colonial and coffee-export eras.
The Coffee Museum is particularly significant because Santos played a major role in Brazil's historic coffee trade.
The city became one of the world's most important coffee-exporting ports, helping fuel the economic development of São Paulo.
The Port of Santos
The Port of Santos is one of the most important ports in Brazil and one of the major ports in Latin America.
Its enormous scale is an important part of the city's identity.
Visitors interested in transportation, maritime history, or Brazilian commerce will find the port particularly fascinating.
Beaches and Coastal Attractions
Santos is also famous for its beaches.
The city's waterfront is lined with a large landscaped garden, creating an unusual combination of urban park and beachfront.
This makes Santos a very different temple destination from inland Brazilian cities.
A future temple trip could easily combine temple worship with a relaxing coastal vacation.
Why the Santos Temple Matters
The Santos Brazil Temple is significant because it continues the rapid expansion of temples throughout Brazil.
At the time of its announcement, Brazil already had approximately 1.5 million Latter-day Saints and more than 2,100 congregations.
With Brazil's enormous geographic size, additional temples can make a major difference in the amount of time and expense required for members to attend the temple.
For members living around Santos, the new temple will provide a much more convenient option.
A Growing Temple Network
The Santos Temple is part of a much larger wave of temple construction in Brazil.
When it was announced in 2022, other Brazilian temples were already dedicated, under construction, or announced in cities including Rio de Janeiro, Belém, Brasília, Salvador, Belo Horizonte, São Paulo East, Maceió, and Vitória.
The continued addition of temples demonstrates the importance of Brazil within the worldwide Latter-day Saint community.
Planning a Future Temple Trip
The Santos Brazil Temple is not yet open.
Construction has only recently begun, so the public cannot currently tour the temple.
The Church has not announced the public open house or dedication dates.
Once construction is complete, a public open house will provide an opportunity for the general public to tour the completed temple before its dedication.
After dedication, interior access will be reserved for Latter-day Saints who meet the requirements for temple worship.
Final Thoughts
The Santos Brazil Temple is an exciting new addition to Brazil's rapidly expanding temple network.
President Russell M. Nelson announced the temple on April 3, 2022, and the site was announced later that year on November 28, 2022.
The approximately 23,000-square-foot temple will be constructed at the site of the Jabaquara Ward meetinghouse in Santos and will feature a single attached central spire.
The official rendering was released on May 26, 2026, and the groundbreaking ceremony was held on August 1, 2026, marking the beginning of construction.
When completed, the Santos Temple will become the 16th temple in Brazil, providing greater access to temple worship for Latter-day Saints living in Santos and throughout the surrounding coastal region.
For Latter-day Saint travelers from the United States, a future trip to the Santos Brazil Temple could combine temple worship, Brazilian beaches, historic Santos, the famous Port of Santos, coffee history, São Paulo, and the culture of Brazil's southeastern coast.
Scott & Riah
Brough Made
broughmade.com
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