Arequipa Peru Temple

The Arequipa Peru Temple is a temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, located in the Cayma District of Arequipa, Peru. It is the third constructed in Peru, following those in Lima and Trujillo, and the church's 167th operating temple worldwide. Announced on October 6, 2012, by church president Thomas S. Monson during general conference, it was built to serve Latter-day Saints across southern Peru, significantly reducing travel time of up to 14 hours to the temple in Lima. The temple was designed in a style inspired by Spanish Colonial and Baroque architecture, incorporating local Arequipeño elements such as native plant landscaping, art-glass windows featuring the Flor de Texao, and gray-white granite reminiscent of the region's historic sillar stone buildings. A groundbreaking ceremony was held on March 4, 2017, and led by Carlos A. Godoy, then serving as president of the church's South America Northwest Area. After construction was completed, more than 80,000 visitors attended a public open house in November 2019. The temple was dedicated in three sessions on December 15, 2019, by Ulisses Soares of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.

The Arequipa Peru Temple was announced during general conference by church president Thomas S. Monson on October 6, 2012, concurrently with the Tucson Arizona Temple. It was the third temple announced in Peru and the 167th across the world. In January 2016, the temple site—located in the Cayma District of Arequipa—received zoning approval and building permits for construction on approximately 7.91 acres (3.2 ha). Preliminary plans were for a structure of 26,969 square feet (2, 505 m2). In March 2016, a general contractor was selected. Church members gathered for a groundbreaking ceremony, to mark the commencement of construction, on March 4, 2017. Presiding was Carlos A. Godoy, president of the South America Northwest Area, who was joined by his counselors Enrique R. Falabella and Hugo Montoya. During construction, the angel Moroni statue—gilded in gold leaf—was placed on the temple's cupola lantern on November 30, 2018, in a ceremony attended by hundreds of onlookers. After construction was complet

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