title: Montevideo Uruguay Temple
text: # Montevideo Uruguay Temple
  
  The Montevideo Uruguay Temple is the 103rd operating temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church).
  
  ## History
  
  Richard G. Scott, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, who was one of the first Mormon missionaries in Uruguay, presided at the groundbreaking ceremony for the temple. The first LDS Church branch was organized in 1944 and since then the church has experienced phenomenal growth. By 2001, Uruguay had 73,000 members and a temple.
  
  During the open house nearly 25,000 people visited the Montevideo Uruguay Temple. Among the visitors was Jorge Batlle, then President of Uruguay. LDS Church president Gordon B. Hinckley dedicated the Montevideo Uruguay Temple on 18 March 2001 with more than 6,500 people in attendance.
  
  The temple has a single spire topped by a statue of the angel Moroni and the exterior is asa branca granite. The Montevideo Uruguay Temple has a total of 10,700 square feet (990 $m^2),$ two ordinance rooms, and two sealing rooms.
  
  The Montevideo Uruguay Temple was the first temple of the LDS Church to be dedicated in the 21st century.
  
  In 2020, the Montevideo Uruguay Temple was closed temporarily during the year in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
  
  