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SALT LAKE CITY, Utah | Mormon Newsroom | — The Church’s second temple in Argentina was dedicated on Sunday, May 17, 2015. President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, second counselor in the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, presided over the services and gave the dedicatory prayer. Joining him was Elder D. Todd Christofferson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
Also attending were Elder Kent F. Richards of the Seventy and the executive director of the Church Temple Department; Elders Walter F. Gonzalez, Jorge F. Zeballos, and Francisco J. Vinas, the South America South area presidency; and temple president and matron, President and Sister Mario Cecilio Cristóbal and Vilma Marta Cattaneo de Romero.
The Córdoba Argentina Temple was built on the site of one of the first chapels in Córdoba and the Argentina North Mission home. It is the same mission where Elder Richard G. Scott of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles presided as mission president. Elder Christofferson was one of his missionaries.
«It’s almost surreal,» said Elder Christofferson. «Something beyond my fondest imaginations that we [the Church] would be here dedicating a temple, some 50 years, more or less, from my mission service time. It’s a great blessing, a miracle, really.»
President Uchtdorf said they visited with the mayor of Córdoba and said he was pleased that the temple was here. «It brings a light to the city.»
Two choirs made up of Latter-day Saints from the temple district provided music for the cornerstone ceremony and inside the temple for the dedication services.
The temple dedication was preceded by a cultural celebration Saturday evening in the Orfeo Superdome in Córdoba, Argentina.
Hundreds of Latter-day Saint youth from communities near the temple presented the history of the Church through narration, song and dance.
The temple district includes the northwest half of Argentina. There are more than 380,000 members of the Church in Argentina and currently one operating temple, located in Buenos Aires.
The 34,369-square-foot (3,193-square-meter) building has extensive wood paneling, inlaid wood detail and inlaid marble flooring. The color scheme is natural colors with beautiful floral accents. There are also art glass windows, red marble counters and accent stone from Spain (Rojo Alicante). Hand-sculpted carpet designs mirror the extensive decorative painting and gold stenciling, as well as custom-made carpets for the bride’s room and the entryway. The chandeliers are Swarovski crystal by Schonbek Worldwide of New York.
Prior to the temple dedication, more than 49,000 people attended the two-week open house in April and early May to view each room and learn the purpose of temples.
Latter-day Saint temples differ from the meetinghouses or chapels where members meet for Sunday worship services. Temples are considered “houses of the Lord” where Christ’s teachings are reaffirmed through baptism and other ordinances that unite families for eternity. In the temple, Church members learn more about the purpose of life and make covenants to follow Jesus Christ and serve their fellow man.
