Groundbreaking of the Winchester Virginia Temple
Ground was broken for the Winchester Virginia Temple on Aug. 9, 2025, with Elder Robert M. Daines — a General Authority Seventy and second counselor in the United States Northeast Area presidency — presiding. He said that more than an event or photo op, temple groundbreakings “are moments when God’s people begin to make a space for Him to dwell with them.”
He noted the temple is useful only if it shapes patrons outside of its walls. “We are shaped by our temple worship and our attempts to build and become worthy of that,” said Elder Daines. “Every temple is a sign of God’s hope for us and an invitation to live with and be like Him. We make promises, but really we learn to be fitted and formed by these promises.”
Timeline of the Winchester Virginia Temple
The Winchester Virginia Temple was announced by Church President Russell M. Nelson on April 2, 2023. Ground was broken for the temple on Aug. 9, 2025, with Elder Robert M. Daines presiding.
Architecture and Design of the Winchester Virginia Temple
According to site plans released by the Church on Oct. 30, 2023, the Winchester Virginia Temple will be a single-story building of approximately 30,000 square feet. The edifice will stand on a 11.27-acre site in Frederick County in the north end of the Shenandoah Valley.
Architectural renderings of the house of the Lord show an off-white exterior surrounded by rectangular windows, with pillars surrounding the entrance. A tall, octagonal tower with arched windows stands above the center of the building. Grass fields, sidewalks and flower gardens will adorn the grounds.