Cochabamba Bolivia Temple

The Cochabamba Bolivia Temple is the 82nd operating temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church).

Cochabamba Bolivia Temple
Number 82
Dedicated 30 April 2000 (30 April 2000) by
Gordon B. Hinckley
Site 6.51 acres (2.6 hectares)
Floor area 33,300 sq ft (3,090 m2)
Preceded by Reno Nevada Temple
Followed by Tampico Mexico Temple
Official website • News & images

Bolivia's first convert to the LDS Church was baptized in December 1964, a month after missionaries first arrived. Forty-four years later there were over 158,000 members across the country.[1]

History

In 1995, the church announced that a temple would be built in the Bolivian city of Cochabamba. The next year, church president Gordon B. Hinckley presided over the groundbreaking. He addressed the 4,000 people gathered during one of the heaviest rainstorms the area had seen in ten years. He addressed the gathering, "My beloved and wet brothers and sisters".[2]

Before the temple was dedicated it was open for one week to allow the public 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. LDS Church leaders were pleased when nearly 65,000 people toured the temple, coming close to the goal of 75,000. Because of the open house, over 2,200 people requested to be visited by the Mormon missionaries.

Hinckley dedicated the Cochabamba Bolivia Temple in four sessions on April 30, 2000. In the dedicatory prayer, 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 33,302 square feet (3,093.9 m2), two ordinance rooms, and three sealing rooms.

In 2020, the Cochabamba Bolivia Temple was closed in response to the coronavirus pandemic.[3]

See also

References
  1. "Bolivia: Statistics by Country: Facts and Statistics", Newsroom, Church News, 31 December 2011
  2. "News of the Church: President Hinckley Visits South America, Florida, Washington, D.C.", Ensign: 73, February 1997
  3. 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
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