Tegucigalpa Honduras Temple
| Tegucigalpa Honduras Temple | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Number | 141 | |||
| Dedication | 17 March 2013, by Dieter F. Uchtdorf | |||
| Site | 13.6 acres (5.5 ha) | |||
| Floor area | 28,254 sq ft (2,624.9 m2) | |||
| Height | 135 ft (41 m) | |||
| Official website • News & images | ||||
| Church chronology | ||||
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| Additional information | ||||
| Announced | 9 June 2006, by Gordon B. Hinckley | |||
| Groundbreaking | 12 September 2009, by Don R. Clarke | |||
| Open house | 9 February – 2 March 2013 | |||
| Current president | Luis Ariel Merlo Pineda | |||
| Location | Comayagüela, Honduras | |||
| Geographic coordinates | 14°3′9.216″N 87°14′15.4716″W / 14.05256000°N 87.237631000°W | |||
| Exterior finish | Mountain gray granite from China | |||
| Baptistries | 1 | |||
| Ordinance rooms | 2 (two-stage progressive) | |||
| Sealing rooms | 2 | |||
| Notes | Ground was broken in a small ceremony on 12 September 2009 after a new site was selected. Previously ground had been broken on 9 June 2007 by Spencer V. Jones,[1] excavation was halted because of opposition from Tegucigalpa city officials and citizens, who felt the temple would overshadow and block the view of the Catholic Our Lady of Suyapa Basilica on adjacent land. After negotiations failed to resolve the issue, the church announced on Wednesday, 28 January 2009, that out of respect for the city officials and citizens, the church would relocate the temple.[2] | |||
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Announced in 2006, the Tegucigalpa Honduras Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will be the first LDS Temple in Honduras and the fourth in Central America. Ceremonial groundbreaking and dedication were held at a site located in eastern Tegucigalpa near the Basilica de Suyapa on 9 June 2007, but the church later announced that the temple site would be moved to a location yet to be selected. [3]
Move
On 28 January 2009, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announced that due to objections from the local government of Tegucigalpa, the Tegucigalpa Honduras Temple would no longer be located at the previously designated site. A new site is currently being sought after. The primary reason for the relocation is due to a belief, widely held by members of the Tegucigalpa city council, that the LDS temple would overshadow the local basilica. Even though the LDS church had all the primary permits secured, the city council halted all construction and would not honor the permits held by the LDS church. Out of respect for the strong feelings of those involved, the church decided to seek a new location.
The temple was to be built adjacent to an LDS Church Institute of Religion. Excavation had begun before the the church ceded to pressure to relocate the building.[4] Although previously agreed upon and primarily granted, mayoral officials refused to issue the church necessary permits to continue construction so close to the Basilica de Suyapa.[5] Local church officials decided to move the temple in order to avoid confrontation with the law and the Catholic church.[6]
The plans to build a temple in Tegucigalpa were announced by the LDS Church to local church leaders on June 9, 2006.[7] The original groundbreaking and site dedication was on 9 June 2007, by Spencer V. Jones, a member of the church's Second Quorum of the Seventy and the president of the church's Central America Area.[3]
When completed, the Tegucigalpa Honduras Temple will serve Latter-day Saints in Honduras and Nicaragua. There are 168,000 Latter-day Saints in Honduras and Nicaragua in 302 congregations.[8]
See also
- Comparison of temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
- List of temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
- List of temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by geographic region
- Temple architecture (Latter-day Saints)
Notes
- ^ Satterfield, Rick, "Tegucigalpa Honduras Temple", LDSChurchTemples.com, retrieved 2012-10-30
- ^ Mormones ya no construirán templo en el área de Suyapa (29 January 2009). La Tribuna (an tabloide diario, independiente y pluralista, en la ciudad de Tegucigalpa). Last accessed 28 March 2009.[dead link]
- ^ a b Tegucigalpa Honduras Temple.
- ^ Construction photos
- ^ Mormones ya no construirán templo en el área de Suyapa (Spanish) Mormons now will not construct temple in Suyapa area (Google translation)
- ^ No hubo acuerdo con la Iglesia Católica (Spanish) There was no agreement with the Catholic Church (Google translation) This news story contains a letter from Nery Rodriguez, Director of Public Affairs for the LDS church in Honduras, explaining why the church will not be building at the original site.
- ^ "Temple to be built in Honduras capital," Church News, 24 June 2006, 4.
- ^ "New Temple Will Be Built in Honduras", 24 June 2006.