diff --git a/src/app.py b/src/app.py
index d148407946d58cc3477a4110558509599706ff4c..9978ea0667d141ead048e24deebcdbf12a7985b4 100644
--- a/src/app.py
+++ b/src/app.py
@@ -6,6 +6,9 @@ from flask_cors import CORS
 import config
 from get_wikicode import get_wikicode
 from wiktextract_wrapper import Wiktextract
+from load_templates import load_templates
+
+load_templates()
 
 app = Flask(__name__)
 CORS(app)
diff --git a/src/load_templates.py b/src/load_templates.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..3f064600c69cc84c172d4f94d4af64f25e630f35
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/load_templates.py
@@ -0,0 +1,82 @@
+from wiktextract.wiktionary import parse_wiktionary
+from wiktextract_context import get_wiktextract_context
+
+import os
+import re
+
+import threading
+import time
+
+
+DUMPS_DIR = "dumps"
+
+
+def start_progress_indicator():
+    time_elapsed_indicator.stop = False
+    indicator_thread = threading.Thread(target=time_elapsed_indicator)
+    indicator_thread.start()
+
+    return indicator_thread
+
+
+def stop_progress_indicator(indicator_thread):
+    time_elapsed_indicator.stop = True
+    indicator_thread.join()
+
+
+def time_elapsed_indicator():
+    start_time = time.time()
+    while not time_elapsed_indicator.stop:
+        elapsed_time = time.time() - start_time
+        print(f"\rTime elapsed: {elapsed_time:.2f} seconds", end="")
+        time.sleep(1)
+    print(
+        "\rTime elapsed: {elapsed_time:.2f} seconds".format(elapsed_time=elapsed_time)  # type: ignore
+    )
+
+
+def get_most_recent_file(directory, lang_code):
+    pattern = re.compile(
+        f"{lang_code}wiktionary-(\d+)-pages-articles-multistream.xml.bz2"
+    )
+
+    matching_files = [f for f in os.listdir(directory) if pattern.match(f)]
+
+    if not matching_files:
+        return None
+
+    most_recent_file = sorted(
+        matching_files, key=lambda x: pattern.match(x).group(1), reverse=True
+    )[0]
+
+    return os.path.join(directory, most_recent_file)
+
+
+def load_templates(wiktlang: str):
+    print(f"Loading templates for {wiktlang}...")
+
+    indicator_thread = start_progress_indicator()
+
+    wxr = get_wiktextract_context(wiktlang)
+
+    wxr.wtp.db_conn.execute("DELETE FROM pages")
+    wxr.wtp.db_conn.commit()
+
+    dump_file = get_most_recent_file(DUMPS_DIR, wiktlang)
+
+    if not dump_file:
+        raise ValueError(f"Could not find dump file for {wiktlang}.")
+
+    parse_wiktionary(
+        wxr,
+        dump_file,
+        num_processes=1,
+        phase1_only=True,
+        namespace_ids={10, 828},
+        out_f=None,  # type: ignore
+    )
+    wxr.wtp.db_conn.commit()
+
+    stop_progress_indicator(indicator_thread)
+
+    print("Done loading templates.")
diff --git a/src/wiktextract_context.py b/src/wiktextract_context.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..fcf768754cf27b516c60d2fc8f02012c7dad68dc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/wiktextract_context.py
@@ -0,0 +1,27 @@
+from wiktextract import (
+    WiktextractContext,
+    WiktionaryConfig,
+)
+from wikitextprocessor import Wtp
+
+from typing import Optional
+
+
+def get_wiktextract_context(wiktlang: str, wordlang: Optional[str] = None):
+    db_path = f"./sqlite-{wiktlang}.db"
+    config = WiktionaryConfig(
+        dump_file_lang_code=wiktlang,
+        capture_language_codes=[wordlang] if wordlang else None,
+        capture_translations=True,
+        capture_pronunciation=True,
+        capture_linkages=True,
+        capture_compounds=True,
+        capture_redirects=True,
+        capture_examples=True,
+        capture_etymologies=True,
+        capture_descendants=True,
+        capture_inflections=True,
+    )
+    wxr = WiktextractContext(Wtp(db_path=db_path), config)
+
+    return wxr
diff --git a/src/wiktextract_wrapper.py b/src/wiktextract_wrapper.py
index b3c46b477092eef9ea7728f3151544efb4aa6d89..f748e68baa9125d2e65d891c3f01d024b14d9ef6 100644
--- a/src/wiktextract_wrapper.py
+++ b/src/wiktextract_wrapper.py
@@ -1,9 +1,7 @@
-from wiktextract import (
-    WiktextractContext,
-    WiktionaryConfig,
-)
 from wiktextract.wiktionary import page_handler
-from wikitextprocessor import Wtp, Page
+from wikitextprocessor import Page
+
+from wiktextract_context import get_wiktextract_context
 
 db_path = "./sqlite.db"
 
@@ -18,23 +16,8 @@ class Wiktextract:
         self.wiktlang = wiktlang
         self.wordlang = wordlang
 
-        config = WiktionaryConfig(
-            dump_file_lang_code=wiktlang,
-            capture_language_codes=[wordlang],
-            capture_translations=True,
-            capture_pronunciation=True,
-            capture_linkages=True,
-            capture_compounds=True,
-            capture_redirects=True,
-            capture_examples=True,
-            capture_etymologies=True,
-            capture_descendants=True,
-            capture_inflections=True,
-        )
-        wxr = WiktextractContext(Wtp(db_path=db_path), config)
-
         self.page_handler = page_handler
-        self.page_handler.wxr = wxr
+        self.page_handler.wxr = get_wiktextract_context(wiktlang, wordlang)
 
     def parse_page(self, title: str, wikicode: str):
         # add page to the database (making it accessible to LUA templates)