Church of Jesus Christ Plans US$60 Million Temple Complex in Viña del Mar, Chile

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints plans to build a temple complex in the center of Viña del Mar, Chile, according to project documents reported by Roadshow. The complex will sit between 3rd and 4th North streets, next to the Rioja Palace, on a plot of 7,223.38 square meters. The documents put the estimated investment at US$60 million.

The project will cover about 8,692 square meters across several buildings. These include a main temple, an annex building, a security garage, parking and bicycle spaces, and green areas. The temple will have spaces for baptisms, prayer and ceremonies, along with administrative offices. Its floors are listed as 1,229 square meters on the first level, 1,129 meters on the second, almost 380 meters on the third, and 529 square meters underground.

A separate multipurpose building, also with three levels and underground areas, will stand on one side of the site. According to the background material, it will house offices, rest areas for people attending the complex, a dining room and a waiting room. The complex can receive 994 people at one time and includes 108 parking spaces, most of them underground. The largest underground area, 2,353 square meters, will be used for parking.

The site previously held a large religious center for several Mormon congregations, which hosted ceremonies, conferences and community activities. The report says the main meeting center in the city operated there until 2025, and that the last conference was held in October 2025 before the facilities closed to make way for construction. The surrounding area includes homes, buildings, medical centers, shops and services, and the report notes that the new complex will be considerably larger than the earlier building.

The temple was first announced on October 1, 2023, by Russell M. Nelson, then president of the Church. A month later, the Church reported that it had chosen the land between 3rd and 4th North streets. At that time, the main building was described as about 2,787 square meters. The newer documents put the temple at roughly 3,268 square meters and show a larger overall project once the multipurpose building, parking and other outbuildings are included.

When the Viña del Mar project was announced, it was the fifth temple of this category the Church had planned in Chile. The Puerto Montt project was added later, and the report says six temples are now in operation, under construction or in planning in the country. The Church currently has operations in Santiago, Concepción and Antofagasta, and the Santiago Oeste temple is under construction. The Viña del Mar and Puerto Montt projects have also been announced.

Source: Read the original report (translated from Spanish)