Cochabamba Bolivia Temple
Encyclopedia
The Cochabamba Bolivia Temple is the 82nd operating temple
of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church).
Bolivia
's first convert to the LDS Church was baptized in December 1964, a month after missionaries first arrived. Just forty-four years later there are over 158,000 members across the country.
In 1995 the church announced that they would be building a temple in the Bolivian city of Cochabamba
. The next year President Gordon B. Hinckley
presided over the groundbreaking. He addressed the 4,000 gathered Saints during one of the heaviest rainstorms the area had seen in ten years. He addressed the gathering, "My beloved and wet brothers and sisters".
Before the Mormon temple was dedicated it was open for one week to allow non-members and members to tour the temple. Originally the temple open house had been scheduled for two weeks, but because of civil unrest in the city of Cochabamba due to an ill-fated attempt to privatize the municipal water supply (Cochabamba protests of 2000), the first week was cancelled. Leaders of the Church were pleased when nearly 65,000 people toured the temple, coming close to their goal of 75,000. Because of the open house 2,232 people requested to be visited by the Mormon missionaries
.
President Hinckley dedicated the Cochabamba Bolivia Temple in four sessions on 30 April 2000. In his dedicatory prayer President Hinckley recognized the founder of Bolivia, Simón Bolívar
, who died the year the Church was organized.
The Cochabama Bolivia Temple is of classic modern design reflecting the Bolivian culture. The exterior is finished with a blend of hand-hewn granite and plaster. A statue of the angel Moroni tops the single tower. It has a total of 33302 square feet (3,093.9 m²), two ordinance rooms, and three sealing rooms.
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 (LDS Church).
Bolivia
Bolivia
Bolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...
's first convert to the LDS Church was baptized in December 1964, a month after missionaries first arrived. Just forty-four years later there are over 158,000 members across the country.
In 1995 the church announced that they would be building a temple in the Bolivian city of Cochabamba
Cochabamba
Cochabamba is a city in central Bolivia, located in a valley bearing the same name in the Andes mountain range. It is the capital of the Cochabamba Department and is the fourth largest city in Bolivia with an urban population of 608,276 and a metropolitan population of more than 1,000,000 people...
. The next year President 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...
presided over the groundbreaking. He addressed the 4,000 gathered Saints during one of the heaviest rainstorms the area had seen in ten years. He addressed the gathering, "My beloved and wet brothers and sisters".
Before the Mormon temple was dedicated it was open for one week to allow non-members and members to tour the temple. Originally the temple open house had been scheduled for two weeks, but because of civil unrest in the city of Cochabamba due to an ill-fated attempt to privatize the municipal water supply (Cochabamba protests of 2000), the first week was cancelled. Leaders of the Church were pleased when nearly 65,000 people toured the temple, coming close to their goal of 75,000. Because of the open house 2,232 people requested to be visited by the Mormon missionaries
Mormon missionary
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is one of the most active modern practitioners of missionary work, with over 52,000 full-time missionaries worldwide, as of the end of 2010...
.
President Hinckley dedicated the Cochabamba Bolivia Temple in four sessions on 30 April 2000. In his dedicatory prayer President Hinckley recognized the founder of Bolivia, Simón Bolívar
Simón Bolívar
Simón José Antonio de la Santísima Trinidad Bolívar y Palacios Ponte y Yeiter, commonly known as Simón Bolívar was a Venezuelan military and political leader...
, who died the year the Church was organized.
The Cochabama Bolivia Temple is of classic modern design reflecting the Bolivian culture. The exterior is finished with a blend of hand-hewn granite and plaster. A statue of the angel Moroni tops the single tower. It has a total of 33302 square feet (3,093.9 m²), two ordinance rooms, and three sealing rooms.
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)