Apia temple
The Apia Temple is the 24ste built and the 22nd active temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter- day Saints (Mormons). After it was destroyed by fire in 2003, it was rebuilt in the same place.
The temple in Apia , the capital of Samoa , was announced on October 15, 1977. The groundbreaking and consecration of the property was performed on February 19, 1981 by Spencer W. Kimball . Both the original and the newly built temple were executed in a classic modern style with a tower and on a plot of 8100 m². The original temple possessed 1353, the new 1736 m² usable area. The facade of the temple was made of granite . It contains two ordination and two sealing rooms . Gordon B. Hinckley dedicated the first temple on August 5, 1983 and the rebuilt on September 4, 2005. The Apia temple is one of the most heavily visited in its church and serves approximately 56,000 members from 16 stakes (Mormon ward). in American Samoa and the islands of Upolu and Savaiʻi .
Fire and reconstruction
On July 9, 2003, a fire destroyed the temple. No one was injured because the temple was closed for expansion and renovation and the fire broke out the evening after the workers left. A week later, on July 16, 2003, the First Presidency sent a letter to the people of the area that the temple would be rebuilt. A few months later, on October 19, 2003, the property was consecrated again and the foundation stone was laid. On January 25, 2005, the statue of the angel Moroni , who survived the fire, was placed on the spire of the new building.
Milestones
Announcement: | October 15, 1977 |
First groundbreaking: | 19th February 1981 |
Dedication: | August 5, 1983 by Gordon B. Hinckley |
Again:
Announcement: | July 16, 2003 |
First groundbreaking: | October 19, 2003 |
Dedication: | September 4, 2005 by Gordon B. Hinckley |
Web links
- Official site of Latter-day Saints to Apia Samoa Temple (English)
- Page of the Apia Temple ( Memento from October 21, 2015 in the Internet Archive )
Coordinates: 13 ° 50 ′ 18 ″ S , 171 ° 47 ′ 0.9 ″ W.