The Apia Samoa Temple (formerly the Samoan Temple) is the 24th constructed and 22nd operating
temple
A temple (from the Latin ) is a place of worship, a building used for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. By convention, the specially built places of worship of some religions are commonly called "temples" in Engli ...
of
the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Restorationism, restorationist Christianity, Christian Christian denomination, denomination and the ...
(LDS Church). It was the first built in Samoa and the third to be built in
Polynesia
Polynesia ( , ) is a subregion of Oceania, made up of more than 1,000 islands scattered over the central and southern Pacific Ocean. The indigenous people who inhabit the islands of Polynesia are called Polynesians. They have many things in ...
. After it was destroyed by fire, a new temple was built and dedicated on the same grounds.
History
The intention to construct a temple in
Apia
Apia () is the Capital (political), capital and largest city of Samoa. It is located on the central north coast of Upolu, Samoa's second-largest island. Apia falls within the political district (''itūmālō'') of Tuamasaga.
The Apia Urban A ...
was announced by the LDS Church on October 15, 1977. A groundbreaking ceremony and site dedication were held on February 19, 1981, with
church president Spencer W. Kimball giving the dedicatory prayer.
The temple was open to the public for tours July 19 to 30, 1983.
Gordon B. Hinckley dedicated the new Apia Samoa Temple August 5, 1983, and rededicated it on September 4, 2005. The Apia Samoa Temple serves members from 20 stakes in
American Samoa
American Samoa is an Territories of the United States, unincorporated and unorganized territory of the United States located in the Polynesia region of the Pacific Ocean, South Pacific Ocean. Centered on , it is southeast of the island count ...
, and the islands of
Upolu and Savai'i.
As of 2020, Meliula M. Fata is the
temple president Temple president is a priesthood leadership position in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. A temple president's primary responsibility is to supervise the affairs of a church temple in both an administrative and spiritual capacity.
...
, with his wife, Pono, serving as temple matron.
Fire and reconstruction
On July 9, 2003, a fire destroyed the temple. Although the cause of the fire is unknown, it is believed to be construction related. The fire occurred in the evening after workers had gone home. Firefighters from Faleolo International Airport were called in to help firemen from Apia fire station.
"Temple burns"
''Samoa Observer'', 15 September 2018. Retrieved on 27 March 2020.
One week later, on July 16, 2003, the First Presidency
Among many churches in the Latter Day Saint movement, the First Presidency (also known as the Quorum of the Presidency of the Church) is the highest presiding or governing body. Present-day denominations of the movement led by a First Presidency ...
sent a letter to the people of the area telling them that the temple would be rebuilt. Three months later, on October 19, 2003, the site was rededicated and a groundbreaking ceremony was held. As part of the construction process, the church demolished a building on the property and built a new chapel across the street from the temple. On January 25, 2005, the angel Moroni statue that had survived the fire was placed on the spire of the new building.
Architecture
The original and the rebuilt temple use a neotraditional design with a single spire, on a site. The original temple was , but with the rebuilding the total floor area is now . The exterior of is finished with granite
Granite ( ) is a coarse-grained (phanerite, phaneritic) intrusive rock, intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly coo ...
.
The temple has two ordinance rooms and two sealing rooms.
See also
* Comparison of temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
* List of temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
* List of temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by geographic region
* Temple architecture (Latter-day Saints)
On December 27, 1832, two years after the organization of the Church of Christ (Latter Day Saints), Church of Christ, the movement's founder, Joseph Smith, stated he received a revelation (Latter Day Saints), revelation that called upon church m ...
* The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Samoa
References
External links
*
Apia Samoa Temple Official siteApia Samoa Temple
at ChurchofJesusChristTemples.org
{{LDS-Pacific, state=expanded
Temples (LDS Church) completed in 1983
Temples (LDS Church) completed in 2005
Buildings and structures in Apia
Religious buildings and structures in Samoa
Rebuilt buildings and structures
Temples (LDS Church) in Oceania
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Samoa
1983 establishments in Samoa
Burned buildings and structures