Description

The Santiago Chile Temple is the 26th constructed and 24th operating temple. Located in the Chilean capital, Santiago, it was built with a modern single-spire design.

Currently, the Chilean Temple serves more than 535,000 Mormon members.

History

In 1850, Mormon missionaries from America arrived in Chile to begin preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ to the Chilean people. Their stay was not long, however, due to the language barrier. Ninety-five years passed before two missionaries from Argentina would arrive to begin the preaching again. By the time of the dedication of the Santiago Temple in 1983, there were 140,000 members of the Mormon Church in the country of Chile.

The site for the Santiago Chile Temple was purchased by the Church many years before the temple was constructed with the intention of building a Church school.

Announcement

The LDS temple in Santiago was announced on April 2, 1980,  three years prior to the dedication, in conjunction with the Atlanta Georgia, Apia Samoa, Nuku’alofa Tonga, Sydney Australia, and Papeete Tahiti Temples.

Groundbreaking

Ground was broken for the Santiago Chile Temple 30 May 1981 by President Spencer W. Kimball.

Open House

The open house of the Santiago Chile Temple drew extensive media coverage and visits from numerous government officials and business leaders—several of whom requested Church literature or missionary visits.

The completed Santiago Chile Temple was open to the public for tours 24 August-8 September 1983. Members and nonmembers alike traveled long distances in buses to attend the open house of the Santiago Chile Temple. On Saturday, September 3, approximately 55 busloads of visitors toured the newly completed edifice.

Dedication

President Gordon B. Hinckley, second counselor in the First Presidency, dedicated the Santiago Chile Temple on September 15, 1983, in 10 sessions under the direction of President Spencer W. Kimball.

At the time of its dedication, the Santiago Chile Temple served 140,000 Chilean members, which had joined the Church over the previous 27 years since the Church’s establishment in Chile in 1956.

Dedicatory Prayer

Dedication Order

The Santiago Chile Temple was the first LDS temple to be built in a Spanish-speaking country and the second to be built in South America, following the São Paulo Brazil Temple (1978). It was the first Temple built in Chile, and the 24th temple built in the world.

1998

A new patron housing facility was dedicated on 22 March by Elder Dallas N. Archibald of the Seventy.

Renovation

With the rapid growth of the Mormon Church in the country of Chile, the temple closed for renovation in December of 20003. The temple closed for a renovation to update the interior and add a full baptistry with oxen under the font.

Open House

Following the renovation of the Santiago Chile Temple, the Church held an Approximately 3,000 people visited the temple open house daily, and many came on buses from regions outside of Santiago. Tours accommodated 25 people at a time and began with an introductory film, which explained the purpose of temples and their importance to Latter-day Saints.

Over three times the expected number of visitors attended the first day of the open house preceding the rededication of the Santiago Chile Temple. A total 62,065 people toured the exquisitely refurbished building.

Cultural Celebration

Monumental Stadium on March 11, 2006. His address was followed by a cultural celebration of music and dance performed by 2,500 Chilean Mormon youth and young adults. A cultural celebration was held the evening before the rededication, featuring the talents of 4,000 Latter-day Saint youth.

Rededication

President Hinckley, who expressed a great love for and connection with the Church members in Chile, returned to Santiago to rededicate the temple 22 years after he dedicated it the first time. He had been recovering from colon cancer surgery, and made his first major public appearance since the operation at the two-session rededication of the Santiago Chile Temple.

In his dedicatory prayer given in two sessions on 12 March 2006, President Hinckley prayed for the protection of the edifice:

“Watch over this Thy sacred house, we pray Thee. May no defiling hand violate it in any way. May it stand firm against the elements that beat against it. Protect it from the tremblings of the earth. May it be a place of refuge where Thy Saints may come and find peace while in communion with Thee.”^[1] Santiago Chile Temple dedicatory prayer, in Church News, Mar. 11, 2006, http://www.ldschurchnewsarchive.com/articles/48666/Santiago-Chile-Marvelous-work-has-been-accomplished-here.html.

Elder Carl Pratt of the Santiago Chile Area Presidency noted,

“A few of the original walls remain, and the Angel Moroni, and that’s about it. But oh, it’s just gorgeous, unbelievably beautiful and in comparison to what we had before, which was lovely, it is way and above.”^[2] Carole Mikita, “President Hinckley to Travel Temple Open House in Chile,” ksl.com 8 Mar. 2006, 9 Mar. 2006.

The Santiago Chile Temple was rededicated on 12 March 2006.

2010

An 8.8 magnitude earthquake struck Santiago on February 27, 2010. Despite the extensive destruction to much of the city, the Santiago Chile Temple was mostly unaffected. Cheryl Lyon, wife of temple president Ted Lyon, said, “What a joy to walk into the temple (early Saturday morning) and find it in perfect condition. We just had to close a few drawers and straighten a few pictures. It felt so good to be there in that peaceful refuge and find normality.”^[3]“Messages from Chile Tell of Experiences during 8.8 Earthquake,” Church News, Mar. 1, 2010, http://www.ldschurchnewsarchive.com/articles/58868/Messages-from-Chile-tell-of-experiences-during-88-earthquake.html. The only noticeable damage was the loss of the angel Moroni statue’s trumpet, which had been tossed out of the hands of the Angel into a flowerbed, but then reportedly disappeared before it could be reattached.

Immediately after the quake, the city lost electrical power, but the temple’s generator provided power to the temple for a time. Temple workers decided to close the temple for the day as soon as the generator’s petroleum ran out, but just as the fuel was exhausted and the temple lights began to dim, electrical power returned to the temple. A small staff was able to accommodate a few members who had previously traveled to attend the temple. They later learned that their area had been the only portion of Santiago with power.

On March 10, 2010, the angel Moroni statue on the Santiago Chile Temple received a new trumpet in a symbolic moment of peace and restoration.

Presidents

Temple President	Years Served
President Gerardo J. Wilhelm	2016–
President Francis C. Alder	2013–2016
President Julio E. Otay	2010–2013
President Thomas E. Lyon	2007–2010
President Julio H. Jaramillo	2004–2007
President Donnell W. Hunter	2001–2004
President Robert E. Wells	1998–2001
President Eduardo Ayala	1995–1998
President David G. Clark	1992–1995
President Max L. Willis	1989–1992
President David G. Díaz	1986–1989
President Arthur H. Strong	1985–1986
President Eugene F. Olsen	1983–1985

Details

Location

Located in the Chilean capital, Santiago The temple was built on an 2.6-acre (11,000 m2) plot, Located off Pocuro con Pedro de Valdivia Avenue It stands adjacent to Church offices; a meetinghouse; a distribution center, mission headquarters, and a missionary training center, which doubles as patron housing, the site of the Santiago Chile Temple is known locally as “Temple Square.” Beautiful mature trees line the front of the temple while enchanting gardens fill the grounds behind the temple—accented by a focal point water fountain.

The Apia Samoa, Nuku’alofa Tonga, and Sydney Australia temples all have the same design.

Exterior

Cladding

The exterior is composed of stucco over concrete block.

Windows

Symbolism

Inscriptions

Cornerstone

Spires and Moroni

Spire

it was built with a modern single-spire design. The spire is 76 feet (23 m) tall.

Moroni

Sculptor

Version

Placed

Faces

Height

Feet

Meters

Interior

 The temple’s new interior features the craftsmanship of Chilean artisans,  hand-carved wainscoting in the waiting area, paintings inspired by the Book of Mormon, Chilean marble and native blue stone as well as art glass depicting the copihue — Chile’s national flower^[4] The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints News Release, “Santiago Chile Temple Opens Doors to Public,” 24 Jan. 2006.^[5]The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints News Release, “Santiago Chile Temple Opens Doors to Public,” 24 Jan. 2006.. The Temple has a total floor area of 20,831 square feet (1,935.3 m2).

Rooms

The Santiago Chile Temple has 2 ordinance rooms and 3 sealing rooms, a celestial room, which symbolizes heaven on earth; and baptistry.

Originally, like each of the temples of this design, the font was a tiled tub in the ground. After the remodel the font was expanded and placed upon the backs of 12 oxen statues.

Individuals and Contractors

Manager

Also Did

Contractor

Also Did

Manager

responsability

Sources and Links