The First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has announced open house and dedication dates of two houses of the Lord in neighboring South American countries.
The Antofagasta Chile Temple will be dedicated Sunday, June 15, by Elder Gary E. Stevenson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
The Bahía Blanca Argentina Temple will be dedicated Sunday, Nov. 23, by Elder Ulisses Soares of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
Both houses of the Lord will hold a single dedicatory session broadcast to all congregations in the temple district. These dates were first announced Monday, April 14, on ChurchofJesusChrist.org.
Antofagasta Chile Temple
Before the Antofagasta temple’s June 15 dedication, a media day will be held Monday, May 12, and invited guests will tour the house of the Lord Tuesday, May 13.
A public open house will then run from Wednesday, May 14, to Saturday, May 24, excluding Sundays.
Church President Russell M. Nelson announced a house of the Lord for Antofagasta, Chile, on April 7, 2019, during April 2019 general conference. It was one of eight temples announced at the conference.
Ground was broken Nov. 27, 2020, with Elder Juan Pablo Villar, a General Authority Seventy and then second counselor in the South America South Area presidency, presiding.
This will be Chile’s third house of the Lord. A two-story building of about 23,000 square feet, it’s located on a 2.2-acre site around Avenida de Las Palmeras 44 in Antofagasta.
Chile has two operating temples — in Santiago (dedicated in 1983) and Concepción (2018). In addition, construction for the Santiago West Chile Temple started in 2024. The Viña del Mar Chile Temple (announced in 2023) and Puerto Montt Chile Temple (2024) are in planning stages.
The Church’s first branch in Chile was established in 1956. The first temple in the country, the Santiago Chile Temple, was also the first temple in Spanish-speaking South America. Chile is now home to more than 610,000 Latter-day Saints in nearly 580 congregations.
Bahía Blanca Argentina Temple
Leading up to the Nov. 23 dedication, the Bahía Blanca temple will host its media day on Tuesday, Oct. 14, then invited guests will tour the house of the Lord on Oct. 14-15.
A public open house will run from Thursday, Oct. 16, to Saturday, Nov. 1, excluding Sundays.
President Nelson announced the Bahía Blanca temple on April 5, 2020, during April 2020 general conference, one of eight locations announced.
Ground was broken on April 9, 2022, with Elder Joaquin E. Costa, a General Authority Seventy and then the second counselor in the South America South Area presidency, presiding.
Planned to be the country’s fifth, this house of the Lord in Bahía Blanca is a single-story building of approximately 19,000 square feet. It stands on an 8.14-acre site along Avenida Alberto Pedro Cabrera.
Argentina has four operating temples — in Buenos Aires (dedicated in 1986), Córdoba (2015), Salta (2024) and Mendoza (2024). Another two are in planning stages, a second for Buenos Aires (announced in 2022) and one in Rosario (2024).
The first branch in Argentina, the Liniers Branch, was established in December 1925 — the same month Elder Melvin J. Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles dedicated South America for the preaching of the gospel. Today, Argentina has more than 490,000 Latter-day Saints in over 730 congregations.
