Salta Argentina Temple

As part of a seven-temple announcement on 1 April 2018, during the 188th Annual General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, President Russell M. Nelson named Salta, Argentina as the location for a future temple. The Salta Argentina Temple will be the third Latter-day Saint temple constructed in the country and is slated to be the 194th operating temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Argentina, a country of more than 40 million people, is home to approximately 481,000 Latter-day Saints organized into over 100 stakes and districts. The Salta Argentina Temple will serve members living in the Argentine Northwest who currently travel to the Córdoba Argentina Temple to participate in temple services. The temple is being built on a large grassy field across from the airport in southern Salta.

An accommodation center and Church meetinghouse will also be constructed alongside a residence for the temple president and matron.

On 5 June 2020, an official exterior rendering of the Salta Argentina Temple was released.

Groundbreaking Ceremony for the Salta Argentina Temple

Due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the groundbreaking ceremony was postponed twice.

The groundbreaking ceremony for the Salta Argentina Temple was held on 4 November 2020 at 6:30 p.m. Elder Benjamín de Hoyos, president of the South America South Area, presided at the event. Attendance at the temple site was by invitation only. Because of current COVID-19 restrictions, local social distancing guidelines were followed. The service was also broadcast to meetinghouses in the temple district.

Open House and Dedication Announced

The public is invited to tour the Salta Argentina Temple from Friday, May 3, through Saturday, May 18, 2024, excluding Sundays. Prior to the public open house, a media day occurred on Monday, April 29, and other invited guests will visit on May 1 and May 2.

After the open house, Elder D. Todd Christofferson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles will dedicate the temple on Sunday, June 16, 2024, in two sessions (10 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. AST). The dedication service will be broadcast to all units in the Salta Argentina Temple district.

The temple’s architecture reflects the rich heritage of the Salta region, featuring design elements such as the cardon cactus flower, a prominent plant in the area, and the guarda pampa pattern motif, traditionally used in regional costumes and handcrafts. The color palette incorporates shades of blue, green, yellow, red, and ocher, mirroring the vibrant hues found in the local landscape.