| Panama City Panama Temple | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
 | ||||
| Number | 127 | |||
| Dedication | 10 August 2008, by Thomas S. Monson | |||
| Site | 6.96 acres (2.82 ha) | |||
| Floor area | 18,943 sq ft (1,759.9 m2) | |||
| Height | 111 ft (34 m) | |||
| Official website • News & images | ||||
| Church chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Additional information | ||||
| Announced | 23 August 2002, by Gordon B. Hinckley | |||
| Groundbreaking | 30 October 2005, by Spencer V. Jones | |||
| Open house | 11-26 July 2008 | |||
| Current president | Victor Emanuel Engelhardt Tavares | |||
| Designed by | Mallol & Mallol and Naylor W. Lund | |||
| Location | Ancón, Panama | |||
| Geographic coordinates | 8°59′28.18319″N 79°34′12.41400″W / 8.9911619972°N 79.5701150000°W | |||
| Exterior finish | China stone | |||
| Temple design | Classic modern, single spire design | |||
| Baptistries | 1 | |||
| Ordinance rooms | 2 (two-stage progressive) | |||
| Sealing rooms | 2 | |||
| Notes | Temple dedicated on 10 August 2008 following an open house from 11 July to 26 July 2008. First temple dedicated in Panama. | |||
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The Panama City Panama Temple is the 127th operating temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). It was announced in 2002 and was dedicated on August 10, 2008 by church president Thomas S. Monson.[1] Located in Cárdenas, a suburb of Panama City, it is the first church temple in Panama.[2]
The plans to build a temple in Panama City were announced by the LDS Church on August 23, 2002.[3][4] Ground was broken and the site was dedicated on October 30, 2005, by Spencer V. Jones, a member of the church's Second Quorum of the Seventy and the president of the church's Central America Area.[5] On May 4, 2007, a statue of the angel Moroni was added to the temple's spire.[2]
The temple is adjacent to the LDS Church's Cárdenas Ward meetinghouse, close to the Panama Canal.[5] The Panama City Panama Temple serves Latter-day Saints in all of Panama. There are 39,000 Latter-day Saints in Panama in seven stakes and eight mission districts.[5]
The open house for the temple began on the July 11 and ended on July 26, 2008.[6][7] During the open house, the temple was open to everyone; however, since it has been dedicated only members of the church in good standing can enter.[8] The temple's dedication was held on August 10, 2008 in four sessions. Prior to the dedication, a cultural celebration was held including performances by Panamanian youth members of the church.[1][2]
