Interior Photos Released Of Rome Italy Temple

ROME, Italy – The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has released the first interior photos of the newly completed Rome Italy Temple. The release of the photos coincided with the beginning of the “public phase” of the temple – a period before the temple dedication when the Church opens the building to open house tours. It was the Church’s first temple built within the geographical area described in the New Testament. https://twitter.com/LDSChurchNews/status/1084740031112085506 In photos published on the Instagram page for Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, he said the temple featured several prominent features intended to symbolize the structure’s purpose. One of these symbols was meant to signify both the temple’s eternal purpose, and to acknowledge its location in Italy’s capitol city. “The shape of the oval is found throughout the Rome temple,” Elder Bednar said. “An oval has no beginning and no end, and is a symbol of eternity. This is especially appropriate in Rome, which is known as the ‘Eternal City.’”

  View this post on Instagram   I was grateful to spend time at the Rome Italy Temple today with media from various parts of the world to explain why The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints builds these glorious temples. . One important thing to understand about the construction of temples is that nothing is done by accident. The artwork, the architecture, and the surroundings are all carefully and thoughtfully designed. . For example, the shape of the oval is found throughout the Rome temple. An oval has no beginning and no end and is a symbol of eternity. This is especially appropriate in Rome, which is known as the “eternal city.” . Also, the symbol of olive leaves throughout the temple and the olive trees on the piazza are a reminder of Gethsemane. And the stained glass mural in the visitors’ center contains more than 120 references to the mortal ministry of Jesus Christ, including symbolism from each of His parables from the New Testament. . But most importantly, everything in the temple glorifies Him whose house it is. All we do and see in the temple bears witness of Jesus Christ as our Savior and Redeemer—the Son of God. A post shared by David A. Bednar (@davidabednar) on Jan 14, 2019 at 5:59am PST

The exterior of the structure carried an “oval” motif, along with a grand staircase and ceiling decorations in the temple lobby. According to Church News, “The staircase’s oval design suggests the Michelangelo-designed Piazza del Campidoglio and its ramped staircase near Rome’s Capitoline Hill." In addition to the oval shape of the staircase, a highly ornate stair rail system also featured several ovals.As an acknowledgement of the temple’s proximity to Christianity’s birthplace and a reminder of the mission and teachings of Jesus Christ, olive trees have also been placed outside the temple, with several references in the interior decoration. “The symbol of olive leaves throughout the temple and the olive trees on the piazza are a reminder of Gethsemane,” Elder Bednar said. “The stained glass mural in the visitors’ center contains more than 120 references to the mortal ministry of Jesus Christ, including symbolism from each of His parables from the New Testament.”Interior features also included were a mural featuring Italian landscape scenes, an “elliptical” or oval-shaped baptismal font. Included in the adjacent visitors’ center was a replica of Thorvaldsen’s Christus and 12 ancient apostles, the original of which are located in the Church of Our Lady in Copenhagen, Denmark.The 16th president of the Church, Thomas S. Monson, announced the construction of the Rome Italy Temple during the October 2008 General Conference. The temple will become the Church’s 12th in Europe and 162nd in the world. It was expected it would serve approximately 27,000 church members in Italy and neighboring counties. Previous to the Rome temple’s construction, the closest temple for church members was the Bern Switzerland Temple, about 540 miles away. A free public open house was announced, beginning Monday, January 28 to Saturday, February 16, and closed on Sundays. The temple dedication has been scheduled for March 10, 2019. For more information on the open house, visit mormonnewsroom.org.

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