History
The first Spanish Latter-day Saint joined the Church around 1870. In 1874, Melitón Gnzález Trejo, an officer in the Spanish army, came to Utah to learn more about the “group of Saints” he had heard about from a fellow officer. He was soon baptized and became indispensable to the work of translating the Book of Mormon into Spanish, which opened doors to the preaching of the gospel in Latin America.[1]“Statistics and Church Facts: Total Church Membership.” Newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org, https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/facts-and-statistics/country/spain.
The first members of the Church of Jesus Christ in Spain were baptized during the 1950s and 1960s. At that time, non-Catholic religious ceremonies were illegal, so most converts traveled to France to be baptized. The Church in Spain grew as new members shared the gospel with their family and friends. After the law granting religious freedom was passed in 1967, an independent Spanish branch was organized in Madrid. The Church was legally recognized in October 1968The Church organized its first stake in Barcelona in 1982, and the two most recently organized stakes in the area were created in 2009 and 2012.
Today, the Church has about 135 congregations in Spain. There are more than 61,000 members of the Church of Jesus Christ in Spain.
Temple Announcement
On April 3, 2022, President Russell M. Nelson announced plans to construct the Barcelona Spain Temple at the April 2022 General Conference. The new temple follows the pattern of recent temple announcements in Europe that have favored locations with relatively few stakes within the prospective temple district.
This will be Spain’s second temple. The Madrid Spain Temple was dedicated in 1999.[2]”President Nelson Announces 17 New Temples,” The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints News Release, 3 Apr. 2022.
The temple was announced in conjunction with 16 other temples.
Announced 2022 04 03
- Wellington New Zealand
- Brazzaville Republic of the Congo
- Barcelona Spain
- Birmingham United Kingdom
- Cusco Peru
- Maceió Brazil
- Santos Brazil
- San Luis Potosí Mexico
- Mexico City Benemérito Mexico
- Tampa Florida
- Knoxville Tennessee
- Cleveland Ohio
- Wichita Kansas
- Austin Texas
- Missoula Montana
- Montpelier Idaho
- Modesto California
Location Announced
On January 9, 2023, the location of the Barcelona Spain Temple was announced as a 5.4-acre site located at the intersection of Avinguda de la Vía Augusta and Avinguda de la Clota in Sant Cugat del Vallès, just north of Barcelona. Plans call for a two-story temple of approximately 27,500 square feet. An ancillary building of approximately 13,600 square feet with patron housing, an arrival center, and a distribution center will also be built on site.[3]Location of Barcelona Spain Temple Announced,” The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints News Release, 9 Jan. 2023, https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/location-of-barcelona-spain-temple-announced.
Render Released
On November 20, 2023, the official exterior rendering for the Barcelona Spain Temple was released.[4]”Sites Announced for Two New Temples in Latin America,” The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints News Release, 20 Nov. 2023.https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/location-of-toluca-mexico-temple-released
References
| ↑1 | “Statistics and Church Facts: Total Church Membership.” Newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org, https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/facts-and-statistics/country/spain. |
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| ↑2 | ”President Nelson Announces 17 New Temples,” The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints News Release, 3 Apr. 2022. |
| ↑3 | Location of Barcelona Spain Temple Announced,” The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints News Release, 9 Jan. 2023, https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/location-of-barcelona-spain-temple-announced. |
| ↑4 | ”Sites Announced for Two New Temples in Latin America,” The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints News Release, 20 Nov. 2023.https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/location-of-toluca-mexico-temple-released |