The Groundbreaking Ceremony for the Barcelona Temple Opens a New Chapter for Latter-day Saints in Spain

Last month, on August 12, a total solar eclipse was visible across Spain, transforming an ordinary summer day into a rare astronomical event. For a few moments, a great number of people paused their daily activities and looked up at the sky.

This weekend, a group of people in Catalonia gathered for another occasion that invited them to look skyward: the groundbreaking ceremony for the Barcelona Spain Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

For Natalia Santidrián Bernal, these two moments offer a very fitting comparison. “I think they are similar in that, during the eclipse, everyone was looking up and trying to see what was happening,” she stated. “And with the temple, we also look to the sky and think about what is happening and what it means.”

The groundbreaking ceremony marked the start of construction on the second temple in Spain — a moment that generations of Latter-day Saints in the country have long awaited. Approximately 500 people attended, including local community representatives, nongovernmental organizations, and religious leaders. The event was broadcast to Church congregations in Spain, Andorra, and southern France.

Elder James W. McConkie III, a General Authority Seventy and counselor in the Europe Central Area Presidency, offered the groundbreaking prayer, noting that “we often refer to the temple as the house of the Lord, a place where heaven and earth meet.”

He then expressed his hope that “the Barcelona Spain Temple be built and dedicated in such a way that the people of Barcelona feel this truth and are drawn to a place where God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, can be present in a tangible way.”

A Temple Closer to Home

For many Church members in Spain, worshipping in the house of the Lord has entailed long journeys. Natalia fondly remembers how, as a young person, she had to make a four-hour bus trip from Zaragoza to Madrid to attend the temple. She was a child when the Madrid Temple was completed in 1999, and now, decades later, she sees another temple taking shape in Spain — this time, much closer to where she grew up.

For Maria dels Àngels Fernández and her husband, Jordi Walter Lacuey, the journey to the temple was even longer. After her parents joined the Church, Maria’s family took a 12-hour bus trip to Zollikofen, Switzerland. There, they participated in a sacred ceremony that Latter-day Saints believe can unite families beyond this life.

That experience stayed with her, and now a temple is to be built in her beloved Barcelona. “Having a temple here is an incredible dream come true,” said Maria.

The Barcelona Spain Temple has been designed as a two-story building of approximately 2,555 square meters, situated on a 2.2-hectare site in Sant Cugat del Vallès, a municipality north of Barcelona. Plans for the site also include the construction of patron housing, an arrival center, a distribution center, and a spacious garden.

Currently, there are 25 temples spread across the European continent; 12 are in operation, while the others are under construction, undergoing renovation, or have been announced.

For members of the Church, temples are sacred places of worship where they make covenants, or promises, with God and participate in sacred ceremonies that they believe strengthen families and draw them closer to Jesus Christ.

The temple has become a place where Natalia frequently seeks peace and guidance. “Whenever I need help from heaven, I try to go to the temple,” she stated.

The Barcelona Temple will make this experience more accessible to Latter-day Saints in Spain, Andorra, and France.

For Maria and Jordi, the new temple also holds significance rooted in Catalan culture.

Jordi describes the region as a unique place in Spain and notes that the house of the Lord carries implications that extend beyond its spiritual significance. “We are in a very special place, where the culture is somewhat distinct from the rest of Spain; having a temple here in our midst — aside from its spiritual meaning — also has cultural significance.”

A New Chapter

Currently, approximately 72,000 members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints live in Spain, distributed across 150 congregations.

“Having the temple twenty-five minutes from my home — I can’t even describe it. It still hasn’t fully sunk in. It is a tremendous privilege to have the house of the Lord built here,” said Maria dels Àngels.

For those who gathered at the groundbreaking ceremony, this day meant more than just the start of construction. It represents the beginning of a new chapter — a chapter in which future generations of Church members will have a house of the Lord much closer to home, where they can draw closer to Jesus Christ and find guidance and peace for their lives.

Reflecting on the significance of this event, Elder McConkie said, “Barcelona was once aptly described as a place of courtesy, hospitality, refuge, friendship, generosity of spirit, and beauty. Temples exemplify these attributes and help foster them in the lives of those who worship within them.” He concluded by saying, “Having a temple — or house of the Lord — in Barcelona is a fitting tribute to the good people of this excellent city and region.”

Last month, the eclipse gave many people across Spain a reason to pause and look up at the sky.

This month, a group of people gathered in Catalonia to witness the beginning of a temple destined to serve many generations. The solar eclipse lasted only a few minutes.

The Barcelona Temple is designed to endure for far longer.