Caracas Venezuela Temple

The Caracas Venezuela Temple is the 96th operating temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church).

Caracas Venezuela Temple
Number96
Dedication20 August 2000, by Gordon B. Hinckley
Site0.5 acres (0.20 ha)
Floor area15,332 sq ft (1,424.4 m2)
Height71 ft (22 m)
Official website • News & images
Church chronology
←
Oklahoma City Oklahoma Temple
Caracas Venezuela Temple		 →
Houston Texas Temple
Additional information
Announced30 September 1995, by Gordon B. Hinckley
Groundbreaking10 January 1999, by Francisco J. Viñas
Open house5–12 August 2000
Current presidentAbrahan Eulogio Quero Pernalete
Designed byTaller de Arquitectura and Church A&E Services
LocationCaracas, Venezuela
Geographic coordinates10°28′15.05639″N 66°50′14.25480″W
Exterior finishGranite
Temple designClassic modern, single-spire design
Baptistries1
Ordinance rooms2 (two-stage progressive)
Sealing rooms2
()

History

In 1995, LDS Church president Gordon B. Hinckley announced plans to construct an LDS 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.[1] 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. When 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.

When Hinckley dedicated the temple on August 20, 2000, nearly six thousand members of the LDS Church were in attendance.[2] The Caracas Venezuela Temple has a total of 15,332 square feet (1,424.4 m2), two ordinance rooms, and two sealing rooms.[3]

In 2020, the Caracas Venezuela Temple was closed temporarily during the year in response to the coronavirus pandemic.[4]

See also

()
= Operating
= Under construction
= Announced
= Temporarily Closed

References
  1. "Choosing the Land", by Flora Ruscitti
  2. "Caracas Venezuela: 'This most significant gift from Thee'", Church News, Aug 26, 2000
  3. "Facts and figures: Caracas Venezuela Temple", Church News, Aug 26, 2000
  4. Stack, Peggy Fletcher. "All Latter-day Saint temples to close due to coronavirus", The Salt Lake Tribune, 26 March 2020. Retrieved on 28 March 2020.

Additional reading
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.