Taipei Taiwan Temple

About

The Taipei Taiwan Temple (Chinese: 臺灣臺北聖殿; pinyin: Táiwān Táiběi Shèngdiàn) is the 31st operating temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and is located in Taipei City, Taiwan. It was announced on March 31, 1982 by Gordon B. Hinckley (then a counselor in the First Presidency), along with those to be built in Boise, Denver, and Guayaquil. It was built on a 0.48-acre church-owned parcel at 256 Ai Kuo East Road. The temple was previously the site of a prison and then a chapel, ground for the temple was broken on August 26, 1982. Following construction, more than 16,000 visitors attended its public open house. With five sessions held, it was dedicated on November 17–18, 1984.

Architecturally, it is part of the church’s six-spire series, designed by the church’s architectural division, in collaboration with Philip Fei & Associates (Taipei). The building's exterior has white ceramic tile with a blue-tiled roof, with the tallest spire being 126 feet, with a statue of the angel Moroni on its top. It has four ordinance rooms, three sealing rooms, and a baptistry. Chinese inscriptions reading “House of the Lord” and “Holiness to the Lord” appear on the tower, and the site has trees, fountains, and terraced landscaping. The temple was nominated for an “outstanding building of the year” award, though it was ineligible because it is not open to the public after dedication.

Community interactions were notable during construction and opening: officials managed permitting and neighborhood concerns in a dense civic district; the Apostolic Nuncio, Monsignor Giglio, initially objected to night work before becoming an attentive observer; and dedication services proceeded during an approaching typhoon.

Adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA). Photography via Wikimedia Commons.