Click here for Santiago Chile Temple information including temple schedule and directions from temples.ChurchofJesusChrist.org.

Announced: April 2, 1980.

Location: At former Church school. Pocuro #1940 Providencia, 6641404 Santiago, Chile; phone: (56) 2340-5070.

Site: 2.61 acres.

Exterior finish: Stucco on concrete block.

Temple design: Modern.

Architect: Emil B. Fetzer, Church architect.

Construction adviser: Gary Holland.

Contractor: H. Briones Y Cia & The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Rooms: Baptistry, celestial room, two ordinance rooms, three sealing rooms.

Total floor area: original 14,572 square feet; after remodeling, 20,831 square feet.

Dimensions: 178.6 feet by 112.5 feet; statue of Angel Moroni on top spire, 76 feet high.

District: 74 stakes and 25 districts in Chile, plus three stakes and two districts in Argentina.

Groundbreaking, site dedication: May 30, 1981, by President Spencer W. Kimball, in a cold rain, attended by 6,000 members.

Dedication: Sept. 15-17, 1983, by President Gordon B. Hinckley; 10 sessions. Rededicated after renovation and enlarging March 12, 2006, by President Hinckley; two sessions.

Dedicatory Prayer

Done by President Gordon B. Hinckley

O God, our Eternal Father, hallowed be Thy name. Thou art the great Elohim whom we honor and love. We solemnly bow our heads before Thee and come unto Thee in the name of Thy beloved Son, our glorious Redeemer, the Lord Jesus Christ. We are gathered to dedicate this sacred house, and to praise Thee and Thine Only Begotten Son.

We thank Thee for this day when Thy house has been completed. We thank thee for all who have contributed to its erection—to Thy prophet who, under inspiration, determined that a temple should stand in this land, to the saints who have sacrificed much and contributed generously of their substance, and to faithful tithe payers throughout the world, from all of whom have come the means to erect this structure. To those who designed it and built it, and to all who have in any way assisted in this sacred undertaking, we express our gratitude.

We thank Thee for Thy chosen prophet, Joseph Smith, and for the restoration through him of Thy work in this the dispensation of the fulness of times, with all of the gifts and authority related thereto.

We are grateful for those who laid the foundation of Thy Church in this nation and for all who with devotion have followed them. We thank Thee for the magnificent flowering of Thy work in this part of the earth and for the stature to which it has grown. We thank Thee for the faith and loyalty of Thy saints here and throughout the world. Bless them, Father. Shield them from the darts of the adversary and fortify them against the storms that may threaten.

As we contemplate the marvelous blessings which will come through the exercise of the holy priesthood in this Thy house, our hearts are filled with gratitude unto Thee. The ordinances to be performed herein will bless Thy sons and daughters forever.

And now, in the name of Jesus Christ, and in the authority of the holy priesthood in us vested, and under assignment from Thy prophet in this day, we dedicate unto Thee, our Father and our

God, and unto Thy beloved Son, our Savior and Redeemer, this the Santiago Chile Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We dedicate the ground on which it stands, the vegetation that beautifies it, the building in every part and all of its facilities and equipment, as a temple of God, a house of holiness to which Thee and Thy Son may come as to Thine own abode. May Thy spirit abide here always, and may all who enter feel of that spirit.

We dedicate it also for the performance of sacred ordinances which have come through revelation from Thee for the blessing of both the living and those of the great multitudes of the dead.

Wilt Thou accept this Thy holy sanctuary. We pray that Thou wilt honor it with Thy presence. Wilt Thou watch over it and by the power of Thy might preserve it from any who would defile it or seek to damage or destroy it. Rebuke the elements that it may be protected against any catastrophe of nature, and frustrate the evil designs of the wicked and ungodly who would mock the sacred purposes for which it has been constructed. May it be a haven for Thy people, a house of peace, a house of prayer, a house of love. May all who enter its portals do so with reverence and respect unto Thee. May they here be refreshed in their spirits and strengthened in their faith.

Father, we unite our hearts and voices in behalf of Thy chosen servant who is absent from us this day, even Thy prophet Spencer W. Kimball. Thy faithful saints throughout the earth love him. We pray that Thou wilt bless him and extend his life according to Thy divine will.

Bless Thy work upon this great continent of South America which is part of the land of Zion. Bless Thy work in this nation of Chile. May all that has been done in the past be but a prologue to a far greater work in the future. May there be an ever-growing number of wards and stakes. May Thy people be recognized for the virtue of their lives. Bless the land with peace and righteousness, and bless all who govern that Thy sons and daughters may rejoice in the nation of which they are a part.

Now, Almighty God, we pray that Thy saints may find favor in Thy sight, that faith shall grow in the hearts of Thy people, that love shall abound in their homes, that the spirit of Zion may be found among them and that they shall be a blessed and happy

people. Prosper them in their labors. Open the windows of heaven and pour out blessings upon the faithful that there shall not be room enough to receive them.

May the hearts of the fathers be turned to the children, and the hearts of the children to the fathers in a great labor of salvation reaching from mortal life and beyond the veil through the eternities to come.

We express unto Thee our love for Thee and for Thy Son Jesus Christ. We honor him and thank him as the Redeemer of mankind. We know that His is the only “name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.”

Accept of our thanks and hear our prayer, and be pleased to look with favor upon us, we humbly ask in the name of Thine Only Begotten, the Savior of the world, the Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.

Tens of thousands tour Chile temple

Rededication date rescheduled for March 12; President Hinckley hopes to attend

By Elder Gonzalo Sepulveda

Chile Area

The rededication of the Santiago Chile Temple has been rescheduled for Sunday, March 12, to allow contractors additional time to complete finish work on the edifice. The rededication had originally been scheduled for Feb. 26.

President Gordon B. Hinckley — who is recovering from last month’s surgery to a remove a cancerous growth from the large intestine — hopes to preside at the rededication of Chile’s only temple.

The Saturday evening cultural event has also been rescheduled for March 11, the eve of the rededication ceremony.

Meanwhile, the public open house of the refurbished temple was expected to conclude Feb. 11. It’s expected that more than 50,000 people will have toured the building when the temple closes its doors to the public.

Expressions such as “I felt God’s spirit,” “Today I have found the Lord’s house,” and “The spirit in the temple’s celestial room was overwhelming,” were heard frequently from the some 3,000 people who visited the Santiago Chile Temple each day. The public open house began Jan. 21.

The open house activities offered an apt preview for the upcoming rededication ceremonies and allowed thousands of people — regardless of their religious affiliation — to come to know the house of the Lord and the covenants He is eager to share in the temple.

“Everything here is so beautiful, so lovely,” said Maria Angelica, one of the many open house visitors who was not a Church member. “I felt so good inside the celestial room.”

The Santiago Chile Temple was originally constructed in 1983, becoming the Church’s 24th temple in the world. It was closed in January 2005 to allow workers to refurbish and expand the temple. Following the March 12 rededication, the Santiago Chile Temple will be among the Church’s 122 sacred edifices operating in the world.

One of the major changes includes the refurbished baptismal font. The font is now supported by 12 oxen statues — a feature that drew the attention of many open house visitors. New details on the temple furniture and floors include the work of Chilean artisans. Images from the Book of Mormon, including prints from LDS artist Minerva Teichert, also adorn the temple walls.

Since the beginning of the open house program, thousands have entered the temple off Santiago’s Pocuro con Pedro de Valdivia Avenue to enjoy a tour and learn more about temple functions. The visitors have not been limited to Santiagoans. Many have traveled to the temple on buses that departed from regions throughout Chile.

The steady flow of people who filed through the temple surpassed the expectations of local Church leaders.

While waiting to enter the temple, visitors caught a glimpse of the neighboring offices of the Church in Chile, along with a meetinghouse, a small distribution center and a building that houses missionaries and temple patrons. The gardens located behind the temple offered open house visitors a serene spot for quiet meditation.

After entering the temple, groups of 25 were assigned to a tour guide and watched a short film introducing them to the purpose of temples. The tour also included visits to the temple’s refurbished baptistry and ordinance rooms. Many visitors were emotionally moved by the spirit of peace and tranquility found inside the temple’s celestial room.

“I had no idea I would feel this way,” said Lorena Ruiz of the Constitucion Ward, Talca Chile Stake, who was baptized last year. “It was my first visit to the temple and it was a marvelous experience. It was well worth the wait.”

The tour concluded at the neighboring meetinghouse where visitors learned more about the Church, enjoyed refreshments and were given an opportunity to record their feelings about visiting the Santiago Chile Temple.

“What impacts you the most is what you feel inside — the presence and the feeling of peace and love,” said Luis Riveros Cornejo, rector of the University of Chile.

Eduardo Lamartine, coordinator of the temple committee over the open house and rededication, expressed joy at the impact felt by the temple visitors who were left strengthened by the tour.

Temple opens its doors

Guests tour refurbished Santiago Chile Temple

By Rodolfo Acevedo

Chile public affairs

SANTIAGO, Chile — A new chapter of the Church in Chile was penned Jan. 21 as the open house tours were conducted in the newly refurbished and enlarged Santiago Chile Temple.

Santiago Chile Temple

Credit: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

The ongoing public tours will continue through Feb. 11 in preparation for Feb. 26 rededication ceremonies.

Among the first to tour the refurbished temple were Elder Ryan Dale Marcum and Elder John Robert Kimball, full-time missionaries serving in the Chile Santiago East Mission. After concluding his tour, which included a visit to the temple’s new baptistry, Elder Marcum said he was moved by the spirit felt inside the sacred building.

“This is the house of God — there is a wonderful spirit here,” Elder Marcum said.

Elder Kimball, a descendant of Elder Heber C. Kimball of the Quorum of the Twelve, added: “It’s very special (here). The feelings in all the temples are the same. They are the feelings of God.”

Others counted among the first open house visitors included children, family members and future full-time missionaries. They enlisted words such as beautiful, marvelous and hospitable to describe their tour experience.

Monica Magnere, a Chilean member, said there are no words to adequately describe the feelings felt inside the temple. “I know that the temple is a place that is the most sacred on earth to connect with our Heavenly Father . . . . We are very blessed to have a temple here in Santiago.”

Another Chilean member, Magdalena Riquelme, called it a privilege to tour through the new temple with her young son, Cristian.

Open house tours included stops in each of the essential ordinance rooms — including sealing rooms, the celestial room and the redesigned baptistry. The Santiago Chile Temple’s baptistry now includes the familiar twelve oxen supporting the font.

Open house guide Roberto Vinett enjoyed sharing his testimony with visitors as he walked them through each area of the temple. “To be sealed to our loved ones is an act of love,” he said.

The open house tours will continue through Feb. 11, excluding Sundays.

The Santiago Chile Temple was originally dedicated in 1983 as the 24th operating temple of the Church. The rededicated temple will serve more than 535,000 members in Chile as one of the 122 operating temples worldwide.

The Feb. 26 rededication ceremony will include two dedicatory sessions to accommodate members in the area.

A cultural celebration featuring 4,000 LDS Chilean youth is scheduled for Feb. 25 in Santiago’s Memorial Stadium. More than 50,000 members and friends are expected to attend.

Features unique to the Santiago Chile Temple include hand-carved wainscoting in the waiting area and motifs of the copihue — Chile’s national flower — on door handles and art-glass windows. Native Chilean stone is found in the baptistry and temple entry way.