View source for Cochabamba Bolivia Temple

{{Short description|Church of Jesus of Latter-day Saints temple in Cochabamba, Bolivia}}
{{ LDS Temple/Cochabamba Bolivia Temple |format= Infobox LDS Temple }}
The '''Cochabamba Bolivia Temple''' is the 82nd operating [[Temple (LDS Church)|temple]] of [[the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]] (LDS Church).

[[Bolivia]]'s first convert to the LDS Church was baptized in December 1964, a month after [[Mormon missionary|missionaries]] first arrived. Forty-four years later there were over 158,000 members across the country.<ref>{{citation |url= https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/facts-and-statistics/country/bolivia  |title=Bolivia: Statistics by Country: Facts and Statistics |work= Newsroom |publisher= [[Church News]] |date= 31 December 2011 }}</ref>

==History==
In 1995, the church announced that a temple would be built in the Bolivian city of [[Cochabamba]]. The next year, [[President of the Church (LDS Church)|church president]] [[Gordon B. Hinckley]] presided over the groundbreaking. He addressed the 4,000 people gathered during one of the heaviest rainstorms the area had seen in ten years. He addressed the gathering, "My beloved and wet brothers and sisters".<ref>{{citation |title= News of the Church: President Hinckley Visits South America, Florida, Washington, D.C.|journal= [[Ensign (LDS magazine)|Ensign]] |date=February 1997 |page= 73 |url= https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/1997/02/news-of-the-church/president-hinckley-visits-south-america-florida-washington-dc }}</ref>

Before the temple was dedicated it was open for one week to allow the public to tour the temple. Originally the temple open house had been scheduled for two weeks, but because of civil unrest in the city of Cochabamba, due to an ill-fated attempt to privatize the municipal water supply ([[Cochabamba protests of 2000]]), the first week was cancelled. LDS Church leaders were pleased when nearly 65,000 people toured the temple, coming close to the goal of 75,000. Because of the open house, over 2,200 people requested to be visited by the [[Mormon missionary|Mormon missionaries]].

Hinckley dedicated the Cochabamba Bolivia Temple in four sessions on April 30, 2000. In the dedicatory prayer, Hinckley recognized the founder of Bolivia, [[Simón Bolívar]], who died the year the church was organized.

The Cochabama Bolivia Temple is of classic modern design reflecting the Bolivian culture. The exterior is finished with a blend of hand-hewn granite and plaster. A statue of the [[angel Moroni]] tops the single tower. It has a total of {{convert|33302|sqft|m2}}, two ordinance rooms, and three sealing rooms.

In 2020, the Cochabamba Bolivia Temple was temporarily closed temporarily during the year in response to the [[COVID-19 pandemic|coronavirus pandemic]].<ref>Stack, Peggy Fletcher. [https://www.sltrib.com/religion/2020/03/26/all-latter-day-saint/ "All Latter-day Saint temples to close due to coronavirus"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200818145648/https://www.sltrib.com/religion/2020/03/26/all-latter-day-saint/ |date=2020-08-18 }}, ''[[The Salt Lake Tribune]]'', 26 March 2020. Retrieved on 28 March 2020.</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|LDS Church}}
{{Location map+|Bolivia|width=250|caption=Temples in [[The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Bolivia|Bolivia]]<br/>{{font color|red|Red}} = Operating<br/>{{font color|blue|Blue}} = Under Construction<br/>{{font color|yellow|Yellow}} = announced<br/>{{font color|black|Black}} = Closed for Renovations|places=
{{Location map~|Bolivia|lat=-17.3637|long=-66.1477|position=bottom|mark={{Cochabamba Temple|format=LDSmap}}|label='''Cochabamba'''}}
{{Location map~|Bolivia|lat=-17.7388|long=-63.1744|mark={{Santa Cruz Temple|format=LDSmap}}|label='''[[Santa Cruz Bolivia Temple|Santa Cruz]]'''}}
{{Location map~|Bolivia|lat=-16.4919|long=-68.1222|mark={{La Paz Temple|format=LDSmap}}|label='''[[La Paz Bolivia Temple|La Paz]]'''}}
}}
* [[Jay E. Jensen]], [[temple president]] (2013–)
* [[Comparison of temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]]
* [[List of temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]]
* [[List of temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by geographic region]]
* [[Temple architecture (Latter-day Saints)]]
* [[The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Bolivia]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

==Additional reading==
* {{citation |url= https://www.thechurchnews.com/archive/1996-11-23/prophet-breaks-ground-for-new-temples-11144 |title= Prophet breaks ground for new temples |first= John L. |last= Hart |date= Nov 23, 1996 |newspaper= [[Church News]] }}
* {{citation |url= https://www.thechurchnews.com/archive/1997-09-20/faith-paved-way-for-temple-in-bolivia-11492 |title= Faith paved way for temple in Bolivia |first= John L. |last= Hart |date= Sep 20, 1997  |newspaper= Church News }}
* {{citation |url= https://www.thechurchnews.com/archive/1998-03-28/temples-now-planned-in-30-nations-14159 |title= Temples now planned in 30 nations |date= March 28, 1998  |newspaper= Church News }}
* {{citation |url= https://www.thechurchnews.com/archive/2000-03-25/dedication-dates-set-for-reno-and-cochabamba-temples-17282 |title= Dedication dates set for Reno and Cochabamba temples |date= March 25, 2000 |newspaper= Church News }}
* {{citation |url= https://www.thechurchnews.com/archive/2000-05-13/cochabamba-bolivia-temple-facts-and-figures-17640 |title= Facts and figures: Cochabamba Bolivia Temple |date= May 13, 2000 |newspaper= Church News }}
* {{citation |url= https://www.thechurchnews.com/archive/2010-01-25/country-information-bolivia-34859 |title= Country information: Bolivia |date= Jan 25, 2010  |newspaper= Church News }}
* {{citation |url= https://www.thechurchnews.com/archive/2000-05-13/worthy-of-the-heart-of-a-people-17639 |title= Worthy of the heart of a people |first= Jerry |last= Johnston |first2= John L. |last2= Hart |date= May 13, 2000 |newspaper= Church News }}
* {{citation |url= https://www.thechurchnews.com/archive/2010-05-15/city-in-the-clouds-8212-devotion-defines-members-from-worlds-highest-capital-city-35622 |title= 'City in the Clouds' — Devotion defines members from world's highest capital city |first= Jason |last= Swensen |date= May 15, 2010 |newspaper= Church News }}

==External links==
* [https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/temples/list?lang=eng Official Cochabamba Bolivia Temple page]
* [https://churchofjesuschristtemples.org/cochabamba-bolivia-temple/ Cochabamba Bolivia Temple page]

{{LDS-South-America|state=expanded}}

[[Category:20th-century Latter Day Saint temples]]
[[Category:Religious buildings and structures in Bolivia]]
[[Category:Temples (LDS Church) completed in 2000]]
[[Category:Temples (LDS Church) in South America]]
[[Category:The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Bolivia]]
[[Category:2000 establishments in Bolivia]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures in Cochabamba]]


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