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Prior to the dedication of the Santo Domingo Dominican Republic Temple, Latter-day Saints on the island of Hispaniola — which is split between the Dominican Republic and Haiti — would have to travel to Guatemala or Florida to visit a house of the Lord. After the temple was constructed in Santo Domingo, however, both Dominicans and Haitians could drive to a temple to perform sacred ordinances.
Church President Gordon B. Hinckley dedicated the Santo Domingo Dominican Republic Temple on Sept. 17, 2000. At the dedication, Domingo Aybar, president of the Santo Domingo Villa Mella Stake, told the Church News that “the Church is growing here because of the quality of the people — Dominicans are believers.”
Dedicatory prayer excerpt: “May this be a house of peace and a refuge from the noise and confusion of the world. May there grow in the hearts of those who come here a certain conviction concerning the validity and the purpose of that which they do in service to Thee and Thy children.”
Read the dedicatory prayer of the Santo Domingo Dominican Republic Temple here.
A temple for Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, was announced by the First Presidency of the Church on Nov. 16, 1993. At the time, the First Presidency consisted of Presidents Ezra Taft Benson, Gordon B. Hinckley and Thomas S. Monson.
Ground was broken for the Santo Domingo Dominican Republic Temple on Aug. 18, 1996. Around 4,000 Church members from the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico and Haiti attended the groundbreaking ceremony, which was presided over by Elder Richard G. Scott of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
The public was invited to tour the completed house of the Lord from Aug. 26 through Sept. 9, 2000. Approximately 39,520 visitors attended the open house.
The Santo Domingo Dominican Republic Temple was dedicated throughout four sessions on Sept. 17, 2000, by Church President Gordon B. Hinckley.
The First Presidency announced a temple for Santo Domingo on Nov. 16, 1993. The groundbreaking ceremony for the house of the Lord was held Aug. 18, 1996.
Visitors toured the temple during its open house from Aug. 26 through Sept. 9, 2000. The Santo Domingo Dominican Republic Temple was dedicated Sept. 17, 2000.
The 67,000-square-foot Santo Domingo temple was built on 6.42 acres of land. Tall, arched windows can be seen around the structure, and a multilevel tower on a square base stands above the entrance. The site, adorned with palm trees, offers an expansive view of the Caribbean Sea to the south.
The temple interior contains four instruction rooms, four sealing rooms, a celestial room and a baptistry.
16 November 1993
17 September 2000
Avenida Simón Bolívar 825
Santo Domingo 10106
Distrito Nacional
Dominican Republic
View schedule and book online
(1) 809-731-2000
This was the first Latter-day Saint temple in the Dominican Republic.
This temple was the 31st house of the Lord dedicated in the year 2000. Those 31 temples made up roughly a third of the operating temples of the Church at that time.
In addition to the Dominican Republic and Haiti, the temple’s district at the time of its dedication also included the Bahamas, Jamaica and the islands of the Lesser Antilles.
This was the first Latter-day Saint temple in the Dominican Republic.
This temple was the 31st house of the Lord dedicated in the year 2000. Those 31 temples made up roughly a third of the operating temples of the Church at that time.
In addition to the Dominican Republic and Haiti, the temple’s district at the time of its dedication also included the Bahamas, Jamaica and the islands of the Lesser Antilles.