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

Temple Locale

The San Juan Puerto Rico Temple and an ancillary building stand on a small hill near the Expreso Trujillo Alto highway, providing a central location to the San Juan metropolitan area. The property has long been a hub of Church activity on the island, as the building just west of the chapel once housed the offices for both the Puerto Rico San Juan Mission and the Caribbean Area. The building is now part of an educational complex known as The School of San Juan.

Temple Facts

The San Juan Puerto Rico Temple was the third temple built in the Caribbean, following the Santo Domingo Dominican Republic Temple (2000) and the Port-au-Prince Haiti Temple (2019).

The San Juan Puerto Rico Temple was built on the site of the former Trujillo Alto Ward meetinghouse. The meetinghouse was permanently closed for demolition on January 20, 2019.

The groundbreaking ceremony for the San Juan Puerto Rico Temple was held on the same day as the groundbreaking ceremonies for the Praia Cape Verde Temple and Yigo Guam Temple.

Temple History

Announcement

The Caribbean's third temple was announced for the island of Puerto Rico by President Russell M. Nelson on October 7, 2018, just over a month after President Nelson traveled to the island for a member meeting held at the Coliseo de Puerto Rico arena. During his remarks, he expressed his admiration for the Puerto Rican Saints who gave service and remained faithful during the awful months that followed the devastation of Hurricane Maria in September 2017. Puerto Rican member Anali Ojeda said, he "taught us today that we could find peace during difficult times through Christ." She emphasized, "That's how we overcame this past year, through Christ."¹

The San Juan Puerto Rico Temple made regular temple attendance a reality for Puerto Rican Church members, sparing them the time and expense of traveling by plane to the Santo Domingo Dominican Republic Temple. At the time of the announcement, there were over 23,000 Latter-day Saints on the island organized into five stakes.²

Rendering

The official rendering of the San Juan Puerto Rico Temple was publicly released on January 12, 2019. The rendering depicted a domed tower rising over the temple entrance, honoring the Spanish colonial architecture found throughout historic Old San Juan including the towers of San Juan City Hall and the iconic defensive castle known as Castillo San Felipe del Morro or simply "El Morro."

Groundbreaking Ceremony

Elder Walter F. González, president of the Caribbean Area, presided at the groundbreaking ceremony for the San Juan Puerto Rico Temple on Saturday, May 4, 2019. "Without a doubt," he said, "this is a day to remember, a day that we will keep in our memories and in which the longing of so many brothers and sisters of this beautiful Island of Enchantment becomes reality." Elder González encouraged the Saints to build the temple first in their hearts.³ President Wilfred Rosa, president of the San Juan Puerto Rico Stake, spoke to a visibly touched congregation as he recognized the sacrifices of the Saints who have longed for a temple in their own country. "I'm happy because we can finally hear the sound of the coquí (frog) when we leave the House of the Lord," he said.⁴

Open House

The public open house for the San Juan Puerto Rico Temple was held from Thursday, December 1, through Saturday, December 17, 2022.⁵

Dedication

The Puerto Rico San Juan Temple was dedicated by Elder D. Todd Christofferson on Sunday, January 15, 2023. The three dedicatory sessions were broadcast to all congregations in the temple district. In his dedicatory prayer, he said: "We thank Thee that this island is now graced with a house of the Lord. We recognize and thank Thee for the faith and sacrifices of those Latter-day Saints in Puerto Rico who actively serve Thee and their fellowman, who diligently fulfill callings, who unselfishly minister, who generously contribute tithes and offerings, and who seek to do Thy will in all things as they patiently walk Thy covenant path."⁶

Temple Design

Exterior

The temple is a concrete structure, with a combination of stonework commonly found in the historic district of San Juan and plaster exterior finishes. The architectural style of the temple is Spanish Colonial, which is a style prevalent in the history of this territory.

The main part of the temple building is 8.2m (27’) tall. The height of the building including the spire is 22.6 m (74’). The tower is a modern interpretation of the towers found at San Juan City Hall.

The exterior art glass was designed by NWL architects and is used in the windows to reflect the natural beauty of the landscaping that adorns the island.

The fence is a prefabricate aluminum fence to resist corrosion. The walkways incorporate concrete pavers fabricated locally.

Interior

The Crema Vosscione tile was quarried in Mexico. The accent cement tiles by Villa Lagoon, manufactured in Vietnam, are very prominent throughout San Juan. The carpet is of neutral tone loop and tip sheer, and the pattern is characteristic of Spanish Colonial style. The colors are indicative of Puerto Rico and were chosen in coordination with furniture fabrics.

The interior glass patterns were inspired by quatrefoil motifs seen in Spanish Colonial architecture. The same pattern is repeated in ordinance room fabrics using the colors blue, gold, opal white, and green.

The decorative painting pattern was inspired by historical buildings in San Juan. The Spanish scroll leaf is detailed around lighting and borders. The color palette was selected to compliment the carpets and furniture fabrics.

The details were taken from the historic Spanish scroll including the quatrefoil and arabesque pattern which are all precedent of Spanish Colonial style. Ornamental scroll work is incorporated into the millwork to celebrate the dense flora found throughout the island.

The temple’s original artwork features “From the Mountain to the Sea” by Brad Aldridge.