Santo Domingo Dominican Republic Temple
Encyclopedia
The Santo Domingo Dominican Republic Temple is the 99th operating temple
of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). It is also the first temple to be built in the Caribbean and in this Area
of the church.
Santo Domingo
is the Dominican Republic
's capital city. Founded in 1496, it is the oldest European settlement existing in the New World. In 1978 the Dominican Republic was opened to Mormon missionaries
. By 1986 membership had grown to eleven thousand and in 1998, LDS Church membership reached sixty thousand. The temple was announced in November 1993.
Before the temple was built in the Dominican Republic, members of the church travelled to Peru
, Guatemala
, or the U.S. state
of Florida
to attend a temple. The temple open house, held from 26 August to 9 September 2000, attracted nearly forty thousand people. Over ten thousand members of the church from the Dominican Republic and their neighbors from Haiti
, Puerto Rico
, and other islands witnessed the dedication of the temple on September 17, 2000 by LDS Church President Gordon B. Hinckley
.
The Santo Domingo Dominican Republic Temple is located in the western part of the city. The site is adorned with trees and overlooks the Caribbean Sea
. It has a total of 67000 square feet (6,224.5 m²), four ordinance rooms, and four sealing rooms.
. It offers a hostel that features low-cost accommodation for members using the temple.
which are ecclesiastical divisions or units of the church.
Even though the Santo Domingo Dominican Republic Temple is located in the Caribbean, not all of the stakes and districts in the Caribbean basin are assigned to this temple.
The stakes and districts in Puerto Rico
, Haiti
and the Dominican Republic make up the temple's official district. The stakes and districts of the island of Jamaica belongs Panama Temple district. Trinidad and Tobago
, Guyana
are examples of countries whose stakes and districts fall in to the Caracas Venezuela Temple
district. Barbados' and the Bahamas' units are assigned to Orlando Florida Temple
. However members of the church may visit and use any temple in the world.
Temple (LDS Church)
In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , a temple is a building dedicated to be a House of the Lord, and they are considered by Church members to be the most sacred structures on earth. Upon completion, temples are usually open to the public for a short period of time...
of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). It is also the first temple to be built in the Caribbean and in this Area
Area (LDS Church)
An area is an administrative unit of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which typically is composed of multiple stakes and missions...
of the church.
Santo Domingo
Santo Domingo
Santo Domingo, known officially as Santo Domingo de Guzmán, is the capital and largest city in the Dominican Republic. Its metropolitan population was 2,084,852 in 2003, and estimated at 3,294,385 in 2010. The city is located on the Caribbean Sea, at the mouth of the Ozama River...
is the Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...
's capital city. Founded in 1496, it is the oldest European settlement existing in the New World. In 1978 the Dominican Republic was opened to Mormon missionaries
Mormon missionary
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is one of the most active modern practitioners of missionary work, with over 52,000 full-time missionaries worldwide, as of the end of 2010...
. By 1986 membership had grown to eleven thousand and in 1998, LDS Church membership reached sixty thousand. The temple was announced in November 1993.
Before the temple was built in the Dominican Republic, members of the church travelled to Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
, Guatemala
Guatemala
Guatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast...
, or the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
to attend a temple. The temple open house, held from 26 August to 9 September 2000, attracted nearly forty thousand people. Over ten thousand members of the church from the Dominican Republic and their neighbors from Haiti
Haiti
Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...
, Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
, and other islands witnessed the dedication of the temple on September 17, 2000 by LDS Church President Gordon B. Hinckley
Gordon B. Hinckley
Gordon Bitner Hinckley was an American religious leader and author who served as the 15th President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from March 12, 1995 until his death...
.
The Santo Domingo Dominican Republic Temple is located in the western part of the city. The site is adorned with trees and overlooks the Caribbean Sea
Caribbean Sea
The Caribbean Sea is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean located in the tropics of the Western hemisphere. It is bounded by Mexico and Central America to the west and southwest, to the north by the Greater Antilles, and to the east by the Lesser Antilles....
. It has a total of 67000 square feet (6,224.5 m²), four ordinance rooms, and four sealing rooms.
Travel considerations
While this temple serves the membership of the Dominican Republic, it has also been visited by church members in other Caribbean islands such as BarbadosBarbados
Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles. It is in length and as much as in width, amounting to . It is situated in the western area of the North Atlantic and 100 kilometres east of the Windward Islands and the Caribbean Sea; therein, it is about east of the islands of Saint...
. It offers a hostel that features low-cost accommodation for members using the temple.
Temple district
Each temple is set up to serve the members of the church in the particular geographic area where it is located. These geographic areas contain stakes and District (LDS Church)District (LDS Church)
A district of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a geographical administrative unit composed of a number of congregations called branches. A district is a subdivision of a mission of the church and in many ways is analogous to a stake of the church. The leader of a district is the...
which are ecclesiastical divisions or units of the church.
Even though the Santo Domingo Dominican Republic Temple is located in the Caribbean, not all of the stakes and districts in the Caribbean basin are assigned to this temple.
The stakes and districts in Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
, Haiti
Haiti
Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...
and the Dominican Republic make up the temple's official district. The stakes and districts of the island of Jamaica belongs Panama Temple district. Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago is an archipelagic state in the southern Caribbean, lying just off the coast of northeastern Venezuela and south of Grenada in the Lesser Antilles...
, Guyana
Guyana
Guyana , officially the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, previously the colony of British Guiana, is a sovereign state on the northern coast of South America that is culturally part of the Anglophone Caribbean. Guyana was a former colony of the Dutch and of the British...
are examples of countries whose stakes and districts fall in to the Caracas Venezuela Temple
Caracas Venezuela Temple
The Caracas Venezuela Temple is the 96th operating temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.In 1995, the president of the LDS Church, Gordon B. Hinckley, announced plans to construct a Mormon temple in Venezuela. Immediately following that announcement, a search was conducted to...
district. Barbados' and the Bahamas' units are assigned to Orlando Florida Temple
Orlando Florida Temple
The Orlando Florida Temple is the 48th constructed and 46th operating temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Located near Windermere, it was built with a modern single-spire design. It is the second largest LDS temple in the Eastern United States, after the Washington D.C...
. However members of the church may visit and use any temple in the world.
See also
- 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
- Comparison of temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day SaintsComparison of temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day SaintsBelow is a chronological list of temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints with sortable columns. In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a temple is a building dedicated to be a House of the Lord, and considered by church members to be the most sacred structures on earth...
- Temple architecture (Latter-day Saints)
- The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Dominican RepublicThe Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Dominican RepublicThe Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has had a presence in the Dominican Republic since 1978. The church claims a membership of 106,243 in the country, representing just over 1% of the population.-Beginnings:...