Italy: Rome hosts Europe’s largest Mormon temple

Rome: Europe’s largest Mormon temple can be found in the north-east fringe of Rome, just inside the city’s ring road, where it opened in early 2019 following a decade of construction.

Located near the Porta di Roma shopping mall, the colossal Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the first Mormon temple to open in Italy, the 13th in Europe and the 162nd worldwide.

The building was financed entirely by the Mormons although church elders declined to reveal the project’s cost.

It is clear that no expense has been spared on the 3,800-sqm building – whose 48-m high spire is topped by a gold angel with trumpet – which dominates the area’s skyline.

Built on a six-hectare site purchased in 1997, the temple contains curved walls, crystal chandeliers, marble statues and stained-glass windows, complete with solar panels and ultra-modern technology.

Founded in New York in 1830 by Joseph Smith, the church is established in over 170 nations and has 16 million members. In Italy there are 26,000 members, of whom 2,000 reside in Rome.