Dedication of the Montpelier Idaho Temple
Church President Brigham Young called Charles C. Rich to lead an exploring party into the Bear Lake Valley in August 1863. Rich and others established Paris, Idaho, before stretching out to form other towns, including Montpelier. In 1864, Brigham Young named the town after Montpelier, Vermont — the capital of his home state. Previous to that time, many travelers referred to the town and its area as Clover Creek.
Around 160 years later, the Montpelier Idaho Temple was dedicated Oct. 18, 2026, by President Henry B. Eyring, first counselor in the First Presidency. President Eyring was accompanied at the dedication by General Authority Seventies Elder Steven R. Bangerter and Elder Ricardo P. Giménez and their wives, Sister Susan A. Bangerter and Sister Catherine Giménez, respectively. Elder Bangerter served as the executive director of the Church’s Temple Department. Elder Giménez served in the United States Central Area presidency.
Temples are an evidence of two things, said President Eyring. First, they show that God is a God of covenants. Second, Heavenly Father’s plan reaches beyond mortality into eternity. Making covenants in the temple with God helps individuals to have strength and joy when confronted with challenges of mortality like feelings of loneliness or loss, President Eyring said. To avoid forgetting the blessings of honoring covenants, President Eyring invited individuals to set aside time to worship in the temple. “As we return often, we remember the covenants we make therein, providing strength to bear every trial and overcome temptation,” he said.
President Eyring said that he hopes those who come to the temple “may feel, in this house of God, Heavenly Father’s love for His children and of His desire to bring us back into His presence.” He taught that temples are more than beautiful buildings in which to worship; they are symbols of faith. “Behind every temple are the sacrifices of faithful disciples who gave their time, talents and means to build a house for the Lord,” he said. “Their faith helps create an atmosphere where the Spirit can testify that this truly is His house.”
When the Montpelier temple opened for public tours in September, Robyn Alleman called that day “a happy day, a day waited for, for a long, long time.” Alleman said her husband, Robert Alleman, had a grandfather and great-grandfather immigrate from Switzerland to Montpelier. Shortly after arriving, they helped build the Montpelier Stake Tabernacle that was dedicated 106 years ago. That tabernacle is located directly across the street from the newly dedicated temple.
While the tabernacle has historic importance to the Alleman family, Robyn Alleman said the temple is different because of its spiritual significance for everyone who serves in it. “We make promises in the temple to bind us to God and to our families for eternity,” she said. “This is His home, a source of strength, a refuge, a place that can heal.”
Montpelier’s Michael Wilding and three of his four children sat outside the newly dedicated temple after its dedication. His heart was filled with gratitude, he said. “We already have an appointment this week,” he said of his family. “We’re looking not towards ourselves anymore but toward Jesus and others around us,” he said.
One of two daughters to attend the dedication with him, Lucy Wilding, 12, said she was happy to have a temple closer to home than the previous temple they were assigned to in Star Valley, Wyoming. “It means I can go to the temple almost every day, and that means a lot to me,” she said.
Camille Shinkle’s husband participated in the choir that sang during the dedication. The Shinkles lived in Randolph, Utah, at the time. “It was really neat to see President Eyring and to actually participate and feel the Spirit that was in the room,” she said. “I like the peace and comfort knowing that this is the Lord’s house.”
Christian Berg made the drive from South Jordan, Utah, for the dedication. His ancestors helped settle the Bear Lake Valley. Many are buried in the St. Charles Cemetery in Idaho. “As I grew up as a kid, I heard these promises, and they were cute, trite phrases,” he said. “You don’t know what they mean, and then you experience the storms of life.” Berg said that he has come to see those storms as blessings that help him appreciate the blessings that come from honoring covenants and from making needed changes in life. “They’re deeply personal to me now,” he said. “Instead of just believing or borrowing that testimony from my mom or my grandparents, I know. I know that they’re real.”
Timeline of the Montpelier Idaho Temple
The Montpelier Idaho Temple was announced on April 3, 2022, by President Russell M. Nelson. The groundbreaking and site dedication were held on June 17, 2023, and presided over by Elder Ryan K. Olsen, a General Authority Seventy.
After a public open house Sept. 10-26, 2026, the Montpelier Idaho Temple was dedicated Oct. 18, 2026, by President Henry B. Eyring, first counselor in the First Presidency.
Architecture and Design of the Montpelier Idaho Temple
Standing on a 2.6-acre site, the Montpelier temple is a two-story structure of 34,370 square feet. Inspired by landscapes of southeastern Idaho, motifs throughout the temple include the design of the chicory flower in various stages of bloom. Hues of gold, blues, greens, coral and yellows give a nod to local wildflowers and the turquoise waters of Bear Lake, about 15 miles south.
Art-glass windows show patterns of simple linework borders, a bud detail, mountains and a lake. The building’s flooring uses breccia aurora light stone, with a border of giallo reale, giallo provenza light, rojo alicante and amazonite. Gold-and-blue carpets are also prevalent, with wall-to-wall rugs in some areas.
To the west of the temple site, across the street, is the Montpelier Tabernacle, a 1,200-seat semicircular edifice built in 1917 with art deco, prairie and neoclassical architectural styles.
Interior Photos of the Montpelier Idaho Temple
