Caracas Venezuela Temple
Encyclopedia
The Caracas Venezuela Temple is the 96th operating temple
of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
In 1995, the president of the LDS Church, Gordon B. Hinckley
, announced plans to construct a Mormon temple in Venezuela
. Immediately following that announcement, a search was conducted to find a suitable site on which to build. Several properties were considered over the next eighteen months but none was chosen. It was finally decided the temple would be built in the city of Caracas
on land that the Church already owned. The groundbreaking of the Caracas Venezuela Temple took place in 1999.
Unexpected obstacles occurred during the construction of the temple. When digging the foundation, excavators discovered an underground spring. Once the water was diverted, the excavation continued. However, the digging caused two major landslides. The first landslide did not cause any damage, but the second did. Eight tons of earth and materials were shifted in the slide. Despite these setbacks, the work was completed in just over a year and a half.
Nearly six thousand members of the LDS Church attended the dedication of the Caracas Venezuela Mormon Temple on August 20, 2000. The temple was dedicated by President Hinckley. The Caracas Venezuela Temple has a total of 15332 square feet (1,424.4 m²), two ordinance rooms, and two sealing rooms. Since 2007, the Caracas Temple is presided, for the first time, by a Venezuelan.
Temple (LDS Church)
In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , a temple is a building dedicated to be a House of the Lord, and they are considered by Church members to be the most sacred structures on earth. Upon completion, temples are usually open to the public for a short period of time...
of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
In 1995, the president of the LDS Church, Gordon B. Hinckley
Gordon B. Hinckley
Gordon Bitner Hinckley was an American religious leader and author who served as the 15th President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from March 12, 1995 until his death...
, announced plans to construct a Mormon temple in Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
. Immediately following that announcement, a search was conducted to find a suitable site on which to build. Several properties were considered over the next eighteen months but none was chosen. It was finally decided the temple would be built in the city of Caracas
Caracas
Caracas , officially Santiago de León de Caracas, is the capital and largest city of Venezuela; natives or residents are known as Caraquenians in English . It is located in the northern part of the country, following the contours of the narrow Caracas Valley on the Venezuelan coastal mountain range...
on land that the Church already owned. The groundbreaking of the Caracas Venezuela Temple took place in 1999.
Unexpected obstacles occurred during the construction of the temple. When digging the foundation, excavators discovered an underground spring. Once the water was diverted, the excavation continued. However, the digging caused two major landslides. The first landslide did not cause any damage, but the second did. Eight tons of earth and materials were shifted in the slide. Despite these setbacks, the work was completed in just over a year and a half.
Nearly six thousand members of the LDS Church attended the dedication of the Caracas Venezuela Mormon Temple on August 20, 2000. The temple was dedicated by President Hinckley. The Caracas Venezuela Temple has a total of 15332 square feet (1,424.4 m²), two ordinance rooms, and two sealing rooms. Since 2007, the Caracas Temple is presided, for the first time, by a Venezuelan.
See also
- List of temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
- List of temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by geographic region
- Comparison of temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day SaintsComparison of temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day SaintsBelow is a chronological list of temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints with sortable columns. In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a temple is a building dedicated to be a House of the Lord, and considered by church members to be the most sacred structures on earth...
- Temple architecture (Latter-day Saints)
External links
- Official LDS Caracas Venezuela Temple page
- Caracas Venezuela Temple page
- The Caracas D. F. Venezuela Temple a brief history from announcement to dedication by Erin Howarth
- Dedicatory Prayer: 'This most significant gift from Thee' by President Gordon B. Hinckley, August 20, 2000.