BEAR LAKE COUNTY, Idaho — The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints opened the doors of its new Montpelier Idaho Temple to news media and invited guests Tuesday, marking the official start of a public open house for the state’s eighth completed temple.
Members of the general public are invited to tour the newly constructed building at 534 Washington St. from Thursday, Sept. 10, through Saturday, Sept. 26, excluding Sundays. Church officials confirmed that no advance reservations are necessary to attend the walk-through tours. Following the open house period, the temple will be formally dedicated in a morning ceremony on Sunday, Oct. 18, at 10 a.m., with a secondary rebroadcast scheduled for 2 p.m. to accommodate all church congregations throughout the area.
Elder Karl D. Hirst of the church’s United States Central Area Presidency presided over the media preview, joined by Elder Mark D. Eddy, a General Authority Seventy. The milestone comes nearly four years after Church President Russell M. Nelson announced plans for the edifice during the April 2022 general conference, which was followed by an official groundbreaking ceremony in June 2023.
Architecturally, the building incorporates design elements that pay homage to the natural landscape of the Bear Lake region. The interior features a stylized chicory flower motif, modeled after a plant common throughout the Montpelier area, depicted in various stages of bloom. The color scheme within the temple highlights shades of gold, blue, green and yellow, reflecting regional wildflowers and the distinctive turquoise hues of nearby Bear Lake.
Idaho is home to nearly 483,000 members of the faith spread across more than 1,300 congregations. Once dedicated, the Montpelier facility will become the state’s eighth operating temple, joining existing sites in Idaho Falls, Boise, Burley, Rexburg, Twin Falls, Meridian and Pocatello. Two other temples are currently under construction in Teton River and Coeur d’Alene, while another was announced for Caldwell in April 2025.
Temples differ significantly from the meetinghouses and chapels where Latter-day Saints meet for weekly Sunday worship. Considered “houses of the Lord,” temples serve as sacred spaces reserved for higher religious ceremonies, including eternal marriages and baptisms, intended to reaffirm the teachings of Jesus Christ and unite families forever.