Announced: Oct. 9, 1994.
Location: Barrio of Moratalaz, corner of Hacienda de Pavones and Valderbernando, Calle del Temple No. 2; E-28030 Madrid, Spain; phone: (34) 913-017-607.
Site: 3.5 acres.
Exterior finish: Camaro Marble from Italy.
Temple design: Modern Classic.
Architect: Arquitechior Langdon, SA.
Project manager: Ralph Cluff.
Contractor: JOSTSA Construction Co.
Rooms: Baptistry, celestial room, four ordinance rooms, four sealing rooms.
Total floor area: 45,800 square feet.
Dimensions: 116 feet by 138 feet.
District: 49 stakes and districts in Spain, Portugal, Canary Islands, Cape Verde, France.
Groundbreaking, site dedication: June 11, 1996, by President Gordon B. Hinckley.
Dedication: March 19-21. 1999, by President Gordon B. Hinckley, 10 sessions.
Dedicatory Prayer
Done by President Gordon B Hinckley
Almighty God, our Eternal Father, we come before Thee in humble prayer. Our hearts are filled with gratitude for the precious opportunity of assembling to dedicate this beautiful temple.
We have erected in this Christian nation this House of the Lord. Now, acting in the authority of the priesthood which comes from Thee, we dedicate and consecrate the Madrid Spain Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We present it to Thee and to Thy Divine Son. Please accept our offering given with love by Thy thankful sons and daughters. We honor and reverence it as Thine abode. May Thy Holy Spirit dwell here at all times and in all seasons.
We dedicate the grounds of this and adjoining facilities with their flowers, shrubs, trees, and grass. We dedicate the structure of the temple from the footings to the figure of Moroni. We dedicate every room and facility, and invoke a particular blessing upon those areas used in administering the everlasting ordinances for both the living and the dead.
May Thy faithful Saints come worthily to this Thy holy house to receive the higher ordinances of the gospel, to enter into covenants with Thee, and to seal together their families for time and all eternity.
"Plant in the hearts of the children the promises made to the fathers," and cause that "the hearts of the children shall turn to their fathers," that the earth may not be wasted at the coming of Thy Son (D&C 2:2-3).
We pray that Thou wilt safeguard this structure by Thy divine power. Save it from desecration or damage by unclean hands. Bless it that it may stand through the generations to come. In sunshine and storm, shield it by Thy watchful care. May no evil or unclean thing enter within these walls. May it, in very deed, be Thy holy house, O God, our Father.
We thank Thee for Thine ancient gospel restored in this the fulness of times through the instrumentality of the Prophet Joseph Smith. We thank Thee for its spread over the earth through the faithful labors of the messengers of truth who have gone forth to the nations. Open the doors and the hearts of the people on whom they call wherever they may be sent. Safeguard them from harm and evil.
We thank Thee for this great kingdom of Spain which has been hospitable to Thy Saints. Bless this land. We are mindful that it was from these shores that Columbus sailed to discover America as foretold in the Book of Mormon. Bless the King and the Queen. Bless those who govern in any capacity in this nation and in other nations from which Thy people will come to this House. May they be friendly and generous toward Thy cause and kingdom. Bless this Thy work that it shall flourish and grow in wondrous splendor, touching for everlasting good the hearts of people everywhere.
"Remember all thy church, O Lord, with all their families,…That thy church may come forth out of the wilderness of darkness, and shine forth fair as the moon, clear as the sun, and terrible as an army with banners" (D&C 109:72,73).
Now, our Beloved Father, we dedicate not only this temple, but the other associated structures built on this square. We dedicate the beautiful and commodious stake center with all of its facilities. May it be a treasured house of learning, where faith is taught and nurtured. May Thy word, spoken from the chapel pulpit, kindle as a fire, testimonies of the eternal truth of this Thy holy work. May those who meet in these sacred premises partake with reverence the emblems of the flesh and blood of Thy divine Son who gave His life to atone for the sins of mankind. May the cultural hall be a place of sociality where Thy people can mingle in pleasant friendship. May Thy eternal truths be taught in the classrooms, that faith might increase among all who worship here.
We dedicate the building which houses the Missionary Training Center and housing, the Temple Patron Housing, the Distribution Center, the Family History Library, and the underground parking.
All have been constructed to serve the purposes of Thy Church and Kingdom. May each facility do so according to Thy divine plan and purpose. May Thy word be taught here and go forth to the peoples of the earth for the establishment of Zion and the building up of the kingdom of God. These facilities have all been made possible by the tithing of Thy faithful Saints. Open the windows of heaven and shower down blessings upon them. Sustain them. Provide for them. Prosper them as they serve Thee in righteousness.
Our Father and our God, Thou great Elohim, how thankful unto Thee we feel. Accept of the gratitude of our hearts and let Thy blessings distill upon us, Thy children, as the dews from heaven, we humbly ask in the name of our Redeemer, even the Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Beloved Son, who was chosen before the foundation of the world, amen.
Madrid's temple square
By Gerry Avant
Church News editor
MADRID, Spain — "Wonderful," "marvelous," "magnificent," "inspirational."
Over and over, members of the Church used such descriptions when adequate words to express their feelings failed to come to their tongues during the days the Madrid Spain Temple was dedicated, from March 19-21.
Hard though they searched, they could not convey inward feelings through verbal expressions. Most, when asked about the sessions they attended, began to weep as they tried to respond.
A mingling of the languages of the Iberian Peninsula — principally Spanish, Portuguese and French — and English filled the plaza surrounding the temple after each session. Ever-courteous ushers' expertise in crowd control allowed for members to linger on the temple grounds after the dedicatory sessions.
The temple grounds, which some call "Temple Square of Madrid," also could have been called "Reunion Square." Long-time friends renewed associations, and numerous members from throughout the temple district had an opportunity to visit with missionaries who once served in Spain, Portugal and France.
Many entering the plaza at the main entrance to the temple property for the first time stood in silence, taking in the beauty of the edifice's exterior walls of gleaming white Italian marble and gazing upward to the statue of Angel Moroni atop the temple's sole spire.
The Dealba family — Fernando, father; Mari Carmen Leri, mother; Zuleika, 14, daugther, and Mario, 12, and Jairo, 8, sons — found the dedication one of the highlights of their lives.
"It's difficult to describe this day," said Brother Dealba, second counselor in the Madrid Spain East Stake presidency. " 'Awe' is the only word I can think of. Seeing the prophet, listening to the talks — it's all been an uplifting, wonderful family experience.
Carlos Terra, who directed the Porto Portugal South Stake's choir in one session, said: "It was very humbling to be part of this dedication. Most members of the choir have no knowledge of music, but we practiced many hours. We listened to recordings of the Tabernacle Choir for inspiration and bore our testimonies at each rehearsal. Everyone dedicated all they could to sing for the Lord."
Members of the stake spent most of the night traveling by bus to arrive for their assigned session on the afternoon of March 20. They began their return trip home within a few hours after the session had ended.
Thirty-nine years ago — before she knew about the Church — Amparo Salvador lived in the neighborhood where the temple now stands. She joined the Church in 1978, and has lived in the United States for a number of years.
"I was so surprised to read in the Church News that they were building a temple in my old neighborhood," she said. She has returned to Spain to serve a temple mission. Her companion, Juliana Eizaguerre, is French. "When I see this wonderful place, I think how blessed I am," Sister Salvador said.
Two of the first four missionaries to Spain, Clark Hinckley and Craig Ward, attended the dedication. The others were Robert Haws and Jose Luis Barcol.
"We came here in June 1969 as the first full-time missionaries," said Brother Hinckley. "There was a branch that had been organized a little over a year. All members were expatriates, with two exceptions that we knew of, Spanish members Jose Maria Oliviera, who was baptized in France in 1966, and Angel Herrero, who had been baptized by some BYU students who had been here about a month earlier on a semester abroad."
Brother Hinckley paid tribute to the expatriates who provided so much help to the missionaries.
"People like Bill Fotheringham, who had been sent here by the Kodak Company, helped us so much. He picked us up at the airport, rented a place for us, even put a map of Madrid on the wall. He was very instrumental in getting the Church legally recognized in Spain. He took very good care of us. He and Jose Maria were our two primary sources of help."
Brother Ward said that he and the early missionaries often thought of the promise of wards and stakes in the prayer that Elder Marion G. Romney of the Quorum of the Twelve offered on May 20, 1969, in dedicating the land of Spain for the preaching of the gospel.
"We knew in our hearts that this promise would be fulfilled some day, but never thought that it would be realized for many, many years. Not only are there wards and stakes here but there is now a temple of the Lord."
Construction well under way on Madrid temple
Construction is moving forward at the site of the new Madrid Spain Temple, for which ground was broken by President Gordon B. Hinckley last June 11.
The imposing new edifice is being constructed in the Moratalez district of south Madrid, against a backdrop of high-rise apartments. Its light color and straight vertical lines will be distinctive among other, much older buildings in a city of gray carved stone.The temple, which will have 46,000 square feet when completed, will be the centerpiece of a complex of Church buildings. Other buildings at the site will be a stake center and an eight-story office building.
Underground parking will be part of the completed complex. According to builders, construction is well underway. The footings have been excavated and the concrete basement floor poured. The floor and walls of the baptistry have also been poured.
Although the temple is not above ground, the excitement of members is growing, said Pres. Carlos Jesus Somoza Diaz of the Madrid Spain Stake.
"They will be very happy to have a temple," he said of the members. "The stake is holding meetings and activities that will motivate members to prepare themselves to attend and serve in the temple. We also have three functioning family history centers, and will soon open a fourth. We are preparing for a great work to be done in Madrid."
He explained that the family history centers, where members can obtain family names for temple work, are very busy. One center is so active with members and non-members that there is hardly ever free time, he said. "The center is filled with people."
Pres. Somoza said that members are also preparing as individuals and families for the temple. "We are also working with members in missionary work, to motivate them to begin to convert others, to strengthen and fortify the stake. This is one of our goals."
Stakes in the rest of Spain are also working toward bringing members to Madrid to obtain their temple blessings, he said.
"The members are becoming more interested," said Pres. Richard H. Winkel of the Spain Madrid Mission. "We expect that as the temple is closer to completion the members will become more involved in missionary work."
The Madrid temple is the fifth temple under construction. The others are in St. Louis, Mo., Vernal, Utah, Preston, England, and Bogota, Colombia.
Groundbreaking ceremonies have been held and work will begin soon for temples in Ecuador and Dominican Republic. On President Gordon B. Hinckley's current South America trip, he broke ground for a temple at Cochabamba, Bolivia; and is to break ground for a temple at Recife, Brazil. (See article on this page.)
In addition, temples also have been announced for Billings, Mont.; Boston, Mass.; Caracas, Venezuela; Monterrey, Mexico; Nashville, Tenn.; and White Plains, N.Y.
