Artist’s rendering of the Montpelier Idaho Temple. (Photo: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints)
SALT LAKE CITY — The First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has announced additional details regarding the groundbreaking for the Montpelier Idaho Temple. Additionally, an artist’s rendering of the temple was also released Monday.
The groundbreaking ceremony will take place on June 17, 2023. Elder Ryan K. Olsen, a member of the Church’s General Authority Seventy, will preside. Attendance at the groundbreaking will be by invitation only. A live broadcast of the event will be available for the more than 15,000 church members in the area.
The Montpelier Idaho Temple was announced in April 2022 by Church President Russell M. Nelson. It will be built on a 2.6-acre site located on the northeast corner of Washington and Sixth Street in Montpelier.
The artist’s rendering of the temple released Monday showed a two-story structure, with a single spire. The granite building will have arching doorways and windows.
The announced location is where the old Montpelier City Hall previously stood. According to Montpelier, Idaho Stake Communications Directors McKay and Susie Crane, the city needed to move their offices so the land was put up for sale and the building was torn down. Several other nearby houses were torn down or moved.
Idaho is home to more than 470,000 church members in over 1,200 congregations. In addition to the Montpelier Idaho Temple, Idaho has eight other temples in operation, under construction or announced in Boise, Burley, Idaho Falls, Meridian, Pocatello, Rexburg (the Rexburg Idaho Temple and Teton River Idaho Temple) and Twin Falls. Aside from Utah and California, there are more temples in Idaho than any other state.