Temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Public Open House and Dedication

The general public is invited to attend a free open house for the Arequipa Peru Temple beginning Friday, November 15, and continuing through Saturday, November 30, 2019, except for Sundays, November 17 and 24. A youth devotional will be held Saturday, December 14, and be broadcast to meetinghouses within the temple district. The temple will be dedicated the next day on Sunday, December 15, in three sessions at 9:00 a.m., 12:00 p.m., and 3:00 p.m. Additional details about the dedication will be communicated by local priesthood leaders. The temple will open to patrons on Thursday, December 19, 2019.

Angel Moroni Raising

On November 30, 2018, it was a special day for the Saints of Arequipa and Southern Peru as the brilliant gold-leafed statue of the angel Moroni was hoisted to stand atop the lantern that caps the cupola of the Arequipa Peru Temple. Hundreds of spectators gathered for the event and expressed their enthusiasm.

Construction Status

As of October 2018, stone cladding of the exterior of the Arequipa Peru Temple has reached the base of the tower. Work continues simultaneously on an adjoining housing facility.

Groundbreaking Ceremony

The groundbreaking ceremony for the Arequipa Peru Temple was held on Saturday, March 4, 2017, at 10:00 a.m. Elder Carlos A. Godoy, president of the South America Northwest Area, presided at the services.

Construction Approval

The general contractor for the Arequipa Peru Temple was selected in March 2016. In January 2016, the temple site was rezoned, which allowed for the acquisition of building permits. The final piece of land needed for the temple site was acquired in the latter months of 2014.

Temple Site

The Arequipa Peru Temple site is located just three miles north of the city center near the entrance to the quiet village of Carmen Alto. The land stands on a bluff rising from the Chili River and surrounded by breathtaking pastures and mountain views including the prominent volcano Misti. Carmen Alto, which is easily accessible by public transportation, is popular with visitors and described as "heaven like."

Temple Announcement

On October 6, 2012, Peru's third temple was announced by President Thomas S. Monson during the opening session of the 182nd Semiannual General Conference for the city of Arequipa in southern Peru. Seven stakes currently operate in the city with several additional stakes and districts in the surrounding region. The units that will be served by the Arequipa Peru Temple have not yet been announced.

Peru is home to approximately 29 million people including over a half million members of the Church organized into 101 stakes and 19 districts. Missionary work officially began in the country in 1956. Church members in Arequipa—Peru's second largest city—currently travel to the Lima Peru Temple, almost five hundred miles away, to attend temple services.¹

Temple Facts

The Arequipa Peru Temple will be the third temple built in Peru, following the Lima Peru Temple (1986) and the Trujillo Peru Temple (2015).

The groundbreaking ceremony for the Arequipa Peru Temple was held on the same day as the groundbreaking ceremony for the Rio de Janeiro Brazil Temple.