Richmond Virginia Temple

The Richmond Virginia Temple is the 177th operating temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Glenn Allen, Virginia, a suburb of Richmond. The Richmond Temple is the church's first temple in the state of Virginia.

History
The intent to construct the temple was announced by church president Russell M. Nelson on April 1, 2018, concurrently with 6 other temples. At the time, the number of operating and announced temples was 189.

On April 11, 2020, a groundbreaking to signify the beginning of construction was held, with Randall K. Bennett, president of the church's North America Northeast Area, presiding. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the groundbreaking ceremony was limited to a handful of leaders and was not broadcast to meetinghouses in the temple district as originally planned. The temple was dedicated over two sessions on May 7, 2023 by Dallin H. Oaks.

Architecture
The temple is built in a blend of Georgian, Federal, and Jeffersonian styles with Doric order, with inspiration taken from Monticello, the University of Virginia, the city of Williamsburg, and other locations across the state of Virginia. The exterior hosts interlocking diamond circles and the dogwood flower. The temple is 169 ft. 9 in. tall, with a single spire with the Angel Moroni, and four columns at the front entrance.

Blue, gold, and red on exterior glass and interior furnishings pulls from early American color palettes, and the foyer depicts a 100-year-old art glass piece of Jesus Christ as the Good Shepherd from an old, East Coast Protestant church. The interior designs of the temple, including the foyer, grand staircase, and carpets, accentuate Jeffersonian ideas and Colonial designs.