The Anglican Chapel of Salvador was modelled after the classical architecture and it was the second largest non-Roman Catholic temple built in Brazil. During the Empire, Catholicism remained as the state religion of the country and non-Catholic churches were still forbidden to resemble churches, with towers and bells. It was only after the Proclamation of the Republic – when Brazil was transformed into a secular state – that this obligation ceased to exist and Anglicans could finally held their services in Portuguese and seek out to convert Brazilians. That prompted the Episcopal Church to create the missionary district of Brazil, which would originate the Anglican Episcopal Church of Brazil after the merge of the British chaplaincies and the American missions in the mid-20th century.