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Church President Gordon B. Hinckley dedicated the Montevideo Uruguay Temple on March 18, 2001.
President Huber Chineppe of the Rivera Uruguay Stake was one of the 7,600 Latter-day Saints at the dedication. President Chineppe — who lost his 15-year-old son, Matias, in a tragic accident in 1999 when a group of Uruguayan Saints were traveling to the Buenos Aires Argentina Temple — said that upon “entering the celestial room [of the Montevideo temple], our feelings were very close to our loved ones who are not with us now in life; we will not forget them this day.”
Sister Mirta Da Rosa de Duarte, who lost a daughter in the same accident, also felt blessed by the new house of the Lord in Montevideo at the dedication. She said, “Today, we are in the temple at last, and this has been a sweet experience, and we have had an opportunity to be close to President Hinckley and feel that he is a representative of the Savior on this earth.”
The Montevideo temple reduced difficulties for Uruguayan Church members to attend the temple due to cost or distance, a blessing for which many attendees at the dedication expressed their gratitude.
Dedicatory prayer excerpt: “Dear Father, wilt Thou accept this temple as the gift of Thy sons and daughters. It has come through the faithful payment of tithing by Thy Saints across the world. May it grace this land. May the nation of Uruguay be blessed because of its presence on this soil. May it stand as a testimony to the world of the knowledge of Thy people concerning the eternal things of God.”
Read the dedicatory prayer of the Montevideo Uruguay Temple here.
A temple for Montevideo, Uruguay, was announced on Nov. 2, 1998, by the First Presidency of the Church to local leaders. At the time, the First Presidency consisted of Church President Gordon B. Hinckley and his counselors, President Thomas S. Monson and President James E. Faust.
Ground was broken for the temple on April 27, 1999, with about 900 attendees. Elder Richard G. Scott of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, who was a former missionary in Uruguay, presided over the ceremony.
The public was invited to tour the completed house of the Lord from Feb. 28 through March 10, 2001. Nearly 25,000 people attended the open house.
The Montevideo Uruguay Temple was dedicated on March 18, 2001, by Church President Gordon B. Hinckley. More than 7,655 members attended the four dedicatory sessions.
The First Presidency of the Church announced a temple for Montevideo, Uruguay, on Nov. 2, 1998. Elder Richard G. Scott of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles presided over the groundbreaking ceremony for the house of the Lord on April 27, 1999.
Nearly 25,000 people attended the temple’s open house from Feb. 28 through March 10, 2001. Church President Gordon B. Hinckley dedicated the Montevideo Uruguay Temple on March 18, 2001.
The 10,700-square-foot Montevideo Uruguay Temple was built on 1.59 acres of land in metropolitan Montevideo. Palm trees and foliage native to the area adorn the temple grounds, which are located near the shoreline of the Río de la Plata river.
The exterior finish of the temple is made from granite, and the interior features two instruction rooms and two sealing rooms, as well as the baptistry and celestial room.
2 November 1998
18 March 2001
Bolonia 1722
Carrasco
11500 Montevideo
Departamento de Montevideo
Uruguay
View schedule and book online
(598) 2604-7300
This was the first Latter-day Saint temple in Uruguay.
After Uruguayan President Jorge Batlle toured the temple during its open house period, he spoke of his experience learning about the gospel on his tour, saying, “These values should constitute a guide for our families and each one of us.”
Samuel Piriz, a counselor in the bishopric of the Pueblo Nuevo Ward, Durazno Uruguay Stake, was unemployed during the year before the temple dedication, but he prayed that he would somehow be able to take his family to the ceremony. He found a job a month before the dedication and was able to pay for not only his family’s bus fare to the temple, but also that of two other families from his ward.
This was the first Latter-day Saint temple in Uruguay.
After Uruguayan President Jorge Batlle toured the temple during its open house period, he spoke of his experience learning about the gospel on his tour, saying, “These values should constitute a guide for our families and each one of us.”
Samuel Piriz, a counselor in the bishopric of the Pueblo Nuevo Ward, Durazno Uruguay Stake, was unemployed during the year before the temple dedication, but he prayed that he would somehow be able to take his family to the ceremony. He found a job a month before the dedication and was able to pay for not only his family’s bus fare to the temple, but also that of two other families from his ward.