Johannesburg, South Africa - Mormon Temple
The Johannesburg South Africa Temple is the 36th operating temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Jesse Haven stood on the slopes of Lion’s Head overlooking southern Africa’s Cape Town, already a historic city, on May 23, 1853, and there prophesied that many people who were honest in heart would there come to rejoice in the everlasting gospel. On that occasion, Jesse Haven, William H. Walker, and Leonard I. Smith organized the Mormon Church dedicated the land to missionary work.
Harsh conditions and opposition resulted in slow progress in those early days. [1] In 1865 the missionaries were pulled out, but were sent back in 1903. In 1940 missionaries were again taken out because of WWII but sent back after the war ended. From that time forward, the membership of the Mormon Church began to grow rapidly; so much so, that the Church leaders announced the building of a Temple in Parktown, Johannesburg, South Africa.
The site was dedicated and groundbreaking took place on November 27, 1982. There was an enormous effort put forth in preserving the area’s historical value. Once the site of estates built by nineteenth-century mining magnates and financiers, the area around the temple now features hospitals, office buildings, and schools, many of which are housed in mansions from the Victorian era. [2]
The Temple is visible from many parts of the city with its six spires reaching into the sky. The edges of the building are finished with tiered layers of face brick, immaculately fitted together, giving it an elegance and distinctiveness. [3] That with the gray slate roof and the indigenous quartzite for the temple’s perimeter walls and entrance archways, allow it to suitably fit in with the historic buildings nearby. [2]
President Gordon B. Hinckley, now the Mormon Prophet, dedicated the Johannesburg Temple on August 24, 1985. The temple serves Church members from Congo, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Uganda, Mozambique, Tanzania, Zambia, and Madagascar.
The Johannesburg South Africa Temple has a total floor area of 19,184 square feet, four ordinance rooms, and three sealing rooms.