Dedication of the Concepción Chile Temple
After nearly 10 years from its announcement, the Concepción Chile Temple was dedicated Oct. 28, 2018, by President Russell M. Nelson in his first year as President of the Church
“We feel very grateful,” said President Nelson at the temple dedication. “The people are so loving and so anxious to serve the Lord and to serve each other. ... It really is a sacred feeling you have among them.”
The many Chilean Latter-day Saints gathered at the dedication ceremony talked about how unique the new temple was for them. One member said, “It was a very special moment for us. We never thought we would have a temple here in Concepción.”
Two young children were invited to help President Nelson add mortar to the cornerstone during the cornerstone ceremony. Vania Petit, the mother of one of the children, cried when she saw her daughter with the Prophet. “The most important thing to me is family,” Petit said. “That is why the temple is so important to me; because it is about family.”
Accompanying President Nelson at the ceremony were his wife, Sister Wendy Watson Nelson; and Elder Gary E. Stevenson, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
Dedicatory prayer excerpt: “We acknowledge those Chilean pioneers of faith and devotion who established the foundation of Thy work in this beautiful country. May their names be remembered and their legacy revered by all succeeding generations. We pray for the families and individual members of the Church who reside in this choice land. As they are faithful and true to the covenants they have made and will make in this holy temple, wilt Thou prosper them and grant them the desires of their hearts. We pray for the youth, that they may be drawn to these sacred precincts. We pray for the children, that their hearts may be turned to their fathers. May the ordinances and covenants of salvation and exaltation be provided to all on both sides of the veil who yearn for them.”
Read the dedicatory prayer of the Concepción Chile Temple here.
Timeline of the Concepción Chile Temple
The Concepción Chile Temple was announced by President Thomas S. Monson, 16th President of the Church, on Oct. 3, 2009. A groundbreaking ceremony was held Oct. 17, 2015, with Elder Walter F. González presiding.
Three years later, an open house from Sept. 15 to Oct. 13, 2018, preceded the dedication. On Oct. 28, 2018, President Russell M. Nelson, 17th President of the Church, dedicated the new temple.
Architecture and Design of the Concepción Chile Temple
At 23,095 square feet, the Concepción temple is located near the Biobío River in central Chile and stands on 4.06 acres. The design reflects the neoclassic building style of other historic religious buildings in Chile and includes subtle French detailing. Precast concrete was used on the exterior walls to help simulate the faux limestone stucco used in other historic Chilean buildings. This house of the Lord features a dome tower with a gilded angel Moroni statue.
The temple grounds include 96 palm trees and araucarias — a Chilean pine. Many of the trees originated from the site before the construction of the temple. The Biobío River can be viewed from certain areas of the temple grounds.
The interior of the temple includes original art glass; hand-tufted carpets from California, New Zealand and Thailand; stone from Portugal and Spain; and lapis lazuli — a deep-blue metamorphic rock and the national stone of Chile. The copihue, the Chilean national flower, is found in various motifs and detailings. A color palette of gold, green and blue is found throughout the temple.
The main stone used in the flooring inside the temple is beige St. Michel limestone, quarried and carved in Portugal, with crema marfil marble, quarried in Spain, accenting it. The principal hardwood used within the temple is sapele mahogany from Africa.
Interior Photos of the Concepción Chile Temple
