Angel Moroni Placed on Top of the Lisbon Portugal Temple

LISBON – The Lisbon Portugal Temple, currently under construction, received an angel Moroni statue on November 19^th, a sign that the temple is nearing its completion. The Lisbon temple will be the first temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Portugal.

The statue of Moroni is an iconic symbol of The Church of Jesus Christ that typically stands atop most of the 160 currently operating temples across the world, including 12 in Europe. This 2.6-meter-tall statue of an ancient Book of Mormon prophet symbolizes the spreading of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Crews used a crane to hoist the statue more than 45 meters in the air before setting it in place. The statue is gilded with 22-karat gold leaf, and workers only touch it with gloves to avoid marking the delicate surface.

Elder Moreira, a member of the Area Seventy, a governing body of the Church, said of the occasion, “This is an exciting day in Portugal. The angel Moroni reminds us that the gospel of Jesus Christ is once again on the earth. Just as Moroni joyously sounds his trumpet, so do we rejoice in the gospel of Jesus Christ. Here at this very site, the saints in Portugal will have the opportunity to worship Christ and learn more of Him in the Lord’s house, in His temple.”

The Lisbon Portugal temple was originally announced on October 2, 2010 with a ground-breaking ceremony held on December 5, 2015. Following completion of the temple, it will be open for tours to the public before the official dedication. These dates have yet to be announced. The temple will serve more than 42,000 members living in Portugal as well as the islands of the Azores and Madeira.