On the 28th of January, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Rome Italy Temple (commonly called “LDS Temple of Rome or Mormon Temple”) has finally opened to the public, after nine years of construction.Myself (Giovanni) and Maurizio, the co-owners of Roads to Rome Private Tours, went to check out this marvelous structure.
Even though the LDS Temples are not open to the people who are not members of the Church, everybody can visit a temple before it gets consecrated. The LDS community has therefore organized several “open days” (from the 28th of January to the 16th of February 2019) in order to allow everyone an opportunity to visit this beautiful building.
The LDS Temple of Rome is located in the northern part of the city, and it’s a grand structure that stands out because of the size and the richness of its decorations.
The style is very original: it’s modern and unique but has many elements inspired by the Italian tradition. The whole building is covered with grey granite from Sardinia, and it is decorated with gorgeous stain-glass windows. On top of a high steeple, you can see the golden statue of the Angel Moroni.
After showing a short introductory video, an elegant gentleman welcomed us to the LDS Temple of Rome and guided us with a large group of visitors through its wonderful rooms.
Maurizio and I are used to visiting churches and leading our clients during tours in the most important Christian sights like the Catacombs, or St. Peter’s Basilica, but we have never had the chance to see an LDS Temple.
We were absolutely amazed by the greatness of this building, and by its precious decorations. As our guide said, “we don’t save money when we build something for the Lord.” The floors are covered in shining marbles or soft carpets. The central hall on the first floor, where we started the tour, was designed to recall the Capitoline Hill square, as a tribute to the city of Rome. From the first floor, it’s possible to reach the upper levels climbing a monumental, marble staircase, which has a beautiful bronze handrail.
Our guide walked us through some of the most important rooms in the Temple: the Baptismal Font, where baptisms are performed, by the living and as proxy, for those that did not have the opportunity to be baptized in this life; the Celestial Room, designed to allow members to meditate and “literally commune with God,” and the “wedding room,” called the Sealing Room, where members can promise each other eternal love, even for the life after death.
The rooms are decorated with beautiful frescoes that depict some famous Italian landscapes, like the Amalfi Coast, Sardinia and Tuscany, and are lit up by breathtaking crystal chandeliers.
The Temple is built in a lovely gardened area, where there are also other buildings that the pilgrims can use to sleep or cook. There is also a big Visitor Center, open to everybody, which is decorated with statues of Jesus and the Apostles and inspired by the famous Thorvaldsen group.
Maurizio and I were very pleased by this experience, since we have been taking families to see the construction site of the Temple ever since the construction had been started. It has been a real pleasure to finally have the chance to actually see it.
If you are going to spend some days in Rome, don’t miss the chance to visit this new, significant building. It’s definitely one of the most impressive modern structures in the Eternal City. Even if you’re not a member of the LDS Church, exploring this unique complex is a very interesting experience, consider combining it with the tour of other famous sights in Rome, like the Colosseum or the Vatican.
Building an LDS Temple in Rome was certainly a big challenge: the Eternal City is one of the capitals of Christianity, and it’s definitely one of the holiest cities in the world. Well, we can say that the construction of the LDS Temple made it even holier.
Giovanni Vergineo
(Special Thanks to Anneli Osmond for editing and reviewing this article)
