Apia Samoa Temple

The Apia Samoa Temple is a temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, located in Pesega, near Apia, Samoa. The intent to build the temple was announced on October 15, 1977, by church president Spencer W. Kimball. A groundbreaking ceremony was held on February 19, 1981, also presided over by Kimball. It was the first built in Samoa, the third in Polynesia, and church's 22nd operating temple. The temple has a modern, single-spire design finished in granite, with a statue of the angel Moroni on its top. During later renovations, a fire on July 9, 2003, destroyed the original building, but it was reconstructed on the same site with a larger footprint, improved layout, and higher-quality materials, along with a sprinkler system (that was required by more modern building codes). The rebuilt temple was rededicated on September 4, 2005, by church president Gordon B. Hinckley.

The intent to construct a temple in Apia, Samoa, was announced by the church on October 15, 1977. A revised plan, changing the location from Pago Pago, American Samoa, to Apia, was introduced by church president Spencer W. Kimball on April 2, 1980, as part of a broader announcement of new temples in Polynesia. A groundbreaking ceremony and site dedication was held on February 19, 1981, with Kimball presiding. After construction of the original temple was completed, a public open house was held on July 19, 1983. The dedication was done by Gordon B. Hinckley in seven sessions starting August 5, 1983. The site was approximately 1.7 acres and featured a “R-wall” exterior finish over insulated concrete block with a cedar-shake roof, with two ordinance rooms, three sealing rooms, and about 14,560 square feet.

On the evening of July 9, 2003, while closed for renovations to add a baptistry, the temple was destroyed in a fire—the first time an operational temple had burned in church history. It was the second temple destroyed by fire, following the original Nauvoo Temple. The angel Moroni statue was still intact, and no injuries or loss of records occurred. The Deseret News reported that the temple president saw that in the morning's first light, the statue of Moroni was still there, and was shining gold, rather than black. Members saw the statue as a symbol that a new temple would be built on the site. One week after the fire, on July 16, 2003, the First Presidency announced plans to rebuild the temple, and the damaged remains were demolished by the end of that month. Despite the structure being destroyed, church members gathered to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the dedication of the temple nearly a month after the fire. A second groundbreaking for the reconstruction took place on October 19, 2003, presided over by Dennis E. Simmons, of the Seventy. During the rebuild, a dated meetinghouse on the property was razed, and a replacement chapel was constructed across the street. Joseph Stehlin, a local bishop, who originally laid the first ceremonial block of the temple in 1982, repeated the honor on May 5, 2004. The same angel Moroni statue was placed on top the new temple’s spire on January 25, 2005. A public open house for the rebuilt temple occurred from August 6 to 27, 2005, excluding Sundays. The rededication took place on September 4, 2005, conducted by church president Hinckley. The reconstructed temple retained a similar design but featured higher-quality materials, a more efficient layout, and expanded space—totaling 18,691 square feet, with the outside finished in granite. Approximately 45,000 people toured the temple during the open house, and around 16,040 church members attended the rededication sessions.

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