Apia Samoa Temple
Encyclopedia
The Apia Samoa Temple was the 24th constructed and 22nd operating temple
of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It was the first temple built in Samoa and the third to be built in Polynesia
. After it was destroyed by fire, a new temple was built and dedicated on the same grounds.
The temple in Apia
, capital city of Samoa
, was first announced on October 15, 1977. A groundbreaking ceremony and site dedication were held on February 19, 1981 with Spencer W. Kimball
giving the dedicatory prayer. Both the original temple and the rebuilt temple use a classic modern design with a single spire, on a 2 acres (8,093.7 m²) temple site. The original temple was 14560 square feet (1,352.7 m²), but with the rebuilding the total floor area is now 18691 square feet (1,736.5 m²). The exterior of the temple is finished with granite
. The temple has two ordinance rooms and two sealing rooms. The temple was open to the public for tours July 19 through 30, 1983. Gordon B. Hinckley
dedicated the Apia Samoa Temple August 5, 1983 and rededicated the new temple on September 4, 2005. The Apia Samoa temple is one of the more heavily used temples of the Church and serves members from 20 stakes in American Samoa
, and the islands of Upolu
and Savai'i.
Temple (LDS Church)
In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , a temple is a building dedicated to be a House of the Lord, and they are considered by Church members to be the most sacred structures on earth. Upon completion, temples are usually open to the public for a short period of time...
of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It was the first temple built in Samoa and the third to be built in Polynesia
Polynesia
Polynesia is a subregion of Oceania, made up of over 1,000 islands scattered over the central and southern Pacific Ocean. The indigenous people who inhabit the islands of Polynesia are termed Polynesians and they share many similar traits including language, culture and beliefs...
. After it was destroyed by fire, a new temple was built and dedicated on the same grounds.
The temple in Apia
Apia, Samoa
-Administration:Apia is part of the Tuamasaga political district and of election district Vaimauga West and Faleata East. There is no city administration for Apia. Apia consists of some 45 individual, independent villages...
, capital city of Samoa
Samoa
Samoa , officially the Independent State of Samoa, formerly known as Western Samoa is a country encompassing the western part of the Samoan Islands in the South Pacific Ocean. It became independent from New Zealand in 1962. The two main islands of Samoa are Upolu and one of the biggest islands in...
, was first announced on October 15, 1977. A groundbreaking ceremony and site dedication were held on February 19, 1981 with Spencer W. Kimball
Spencer W. Kimball
Spencer Woolley Kimball was the twelfth president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1973 until his death in 1985.-Ancestry:...
giving the dedicatory prayer. Both the original temple and the rebuilt temple use a classic modern design with a single spire, on a 2 acres (8,093.7 m²) temple site. The original temple was 14560 square feet (1,352.7 m²), but with the rebuilding the total floor area is now 18691 square feet (1,736.5 m²). The exterior of the temple is finished with granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
. The temple has two ordinance rooms and two sealing rooms. The temple was open to the public for tours July 19 through 30, 1983. Gordon B. Hinckley
Gordon B. Hinckley
Gordon Bitner Hinckley was an American religious leader and author who served as the 15th President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from March 12, 1995 until his death...
dedicated the Apia Samoa Temple August 5, 1983 and rededicated the new temple on September 4, 2005. The Apia Samoa temple is one of the more heavily used temples of the Church and serves members from 20 stakes in American Samoa
American Samoa
American Samoa is an unincorporated territory of the United States located in the South Pacific Ocean, southeast of the sovereign state of Samoa...
, and the islands of Upolu
Upolu
Upolu is an island in Samoa, formed by a massive basaltic shield volcano which rises from the seafloor of the western Pacific Ocean. The island is long, in area, and is the second largest in geographic area as well as the most populated of the Samoan Islands. Upolu is situated to the east of...
and Savai'i.
Fire and reconstruction
The fire that destroyed the temple was on July 9, 2003. Although the cause of the fire is unknown, no one was hurt due to it being closed for expansion and renovation. The fire occurred in the evening after workers had gone home. One week later, on July 16, 2003, The First Presidency sent a letter to the people of the area telling them that the temple would be rebuilt. A couple 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 church 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.See also
- Temple (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
- Comparison of temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day SaintsComparison of temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day SaintsBelow is a chronological list of temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints with sortable columns. In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a temple is a building dedicated to be a House of the Lord, and considered by church members to be the most sacred structures on earth...
- Temple architecture (Latter-day Saints)