Praia Cape Verde Temple
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Photo: Intellectual Reserve, Inc.
Elder Andersen Dedicates the Praia Cape Verde Temple
Elder Neil L. Andersen of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles dedicated the Praia Cape Verde Temple today. It is the 173rd dedicated temple in operation worldwide. The temple’s warm-toned exterior is accented in Portuguese limestone with simple lines that are consistent with other religious buildings on the islands. During the three-week open house, more than ten thousand people toured the interior including religious leaders, community leaders, neighbors, and Church members. At the cornerstone ceremony held just before the dedication, Elder Andersen said that "in the records of heaven, this is one of the most important days for Cabo Verde in the whole history of the world."
Photo: Intellectual Reserve, Inc.
Praia Cape Verde Temple Open House Begins
The public open house for the Praia Cape Verde Temple begins this Saturday, May 21, and continues through Saturday, June 11, 2022, except for Sundays, May 22, 29, and June 5. Elder Gary B. Sabin, assistant executive director of the Temple Department, will preside at the events for invited guests, accompanied by Elder Rubén V. Alliaud of the Europe Central Area presidency. The nearly 8,800-square-foot temple was built on 4.46 acres on the southern portion of Santiago Island in the capital city of Praia. The 80-foot tall temple features Moleanos limestone in the exterior finish and is surrounded by lush gardens featuring a wide variety of shade trees, palms, and flowering shrubs. The temple will be dedicated on Sunday, June 19, 2022, by Elder Neil L. Andersen of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, following a youth devotional held the evening prior.
Photo: Intellectual Reserve, Inc.
Open House and Dedication Announced for the Praia Cape Verde Temple
The public is invited to tour the newly completed Praia Cape Verde Temple from Saturday, May 21, through Saturday, June 11, 2022. No tours will be held on Sundays, May 22, 29 and June 5. The temple will be dedicated in three sessions on Sunday, June 19, 2022 with Elder Neil L. Andersen of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles presiding. A youth devotional will be held at a nearby meetinghouse the evening before the dedication on Saturday, June 18, 2022.
Photo: Cape Verde Praia Mission
Finalizing Construction of the Praia Cape Verde Temple
Construction of the first temple in the Cape Verde archipelago is nearly completed. A handful of crates, pallets, and containers remain in the parking area, which has been used for staging. Exterior floodlighting has been operating for several weeks and has made the Praia Cape Verde Temple a heavenly sight in the evenings. Members are early awaiting an announcement of the open house and dedication dates.
Photo: Maria Leyburn
Exterior Lighting of the Praia Cape Verde Temple
The exterior lighting of the Praia Cape Verde Temple has been perfected, casting a divine glow on the exterior walls and architectural features of the building. Plants continue to fill the garden spaces in the parking lot, around the temple, and along the meetinghouse. Construction is nearing completion, but no dates have been announced for the open house and dedication.
Photo: David Gomes
Finishing Up the Praia Cape Verde Temple Grounds
The pristine beauty of the cream-colored Praia Cape Verde Temple is accentuated by the rugged mountains and sprawling building developments on the island's interior. Benches have joined lamp posts on the hard surfaces of the temple grounds, and trees and shrubs continue to be planted beneath rich mulch. An ornamental fence surrounds the temple, creating a division from the meetinghouse and parking areas.
Photo: Elton Sequeira
Scaffolding Removed from the Praia Cape Verde Temple
The sublime beauty of the Praia Cape Verde Temple is on full display with the recent removal of scaffolding from the newly painted exterior. The temple and adjoining meetinghouse are entering the final stages of construction. The archipelago of Cape Verde sits off the west coast of Africa and was uninhabited until the 1400s when Portuguese explorers colonized the islands.
Photo: Elton Sequeira
Construction Barrier Removed at the Praia Cape Verde Temple Site
With ornamental fencing in place around the Praia Cape Verde Temple site, the metal sheet construction barrier has been removed, offering greater visibility of the temple and adjoining meetinghouse. The exterior of the meetinghouse and has been completed, and the steeple of the temple is finished while work continues on the buildings' interiors. A friendly game of football (soccer)—the country's most popular sport—is played in the shadows of this beautiful House of the Lord.
Photo: Elton Sequeira
Beautiful Setting for the Praia Cape Verde Temple
The Praia Cape Verde Temple sits at the base of a ridge that affords a beautiful view of the temple complex, surrounding buildings, and mountainscape. Construction continues on the island country's first temple and a new meetinghouse in the capital city of Praia. Roofing is progressing on the meetinghouse while garden spaces and parking areas are taking shape on the grounds. Work is also progressing on the temple interior and exterior.
Photo: Elton Sequeira
Cupola Added to the Praia Cape Verde Temple
A handsome domed cupola now crowns the steeple of the Praia Cape Verde Temple. The walls were recently fastened to a frame and topped with an elegant lantern and finial. Palm trees are being planted in the garden areas of the temple grounds, and an ornamental fence has been installed along the property lines. Roofing of the on-site meetinghouse has begun, and plastering of the exterior walls is underway.
Photo: Austin Bleckner
Moldings Attached to the Praia Cape Verde Temple
The exterior of the Praia Cape Verde Temple continues to transform with the addition of beautiful arched moldings around the window openings and the main entry. Plastering has temporarily turned the building a dark gray until it is painted a light earth tone shade with white trim. The front staircase and circular planter at the entrance to the building have been poured, but ornamental fencing has yet to be installed between the concrete posts that rise from the retaining walls.
Photo: Elton Sequeira
Ramping Up Construction of the Praia Cape Verde Temple
Hard landscaping is moving forward at the Praia Cape Verde Temple grounds where a circular planter has been added in front of the entrance and reinforcing steel has been laid for the front staircase and sidewalls leading from the parking lot. The exterior of the temple has been covered in white insulating panels while concrete block is being set for the exterior walls of the meetinghouse.
Photo: Elton Sequeira
Work Focused on Interior of Praia Cape Verde Temple
Insulating boards are being attached to the exterior walls of the Praia Cape Verde Temple, but work has largely been carried out on the interior of the building over the past few weeks. Metal trusses have been installed on top of the adjoining meetinghouse, and work continues on building the steeple that will rise over the south wing of the meetinghouse. Each wing will feature three exterior gables.
Photo: Elton Sequeira
Hard Landscaping at the Praia Cape Verde Temple
Fence posts and retaining walls are appearing on the grounds around the Praia Cape Verde Temple, which was built on a pad of compacted fill dirt to reduce the risk of flooding. The temple has been enclosed and scaffolding surrounds the building, allowing both interior and exterior work to move forward. Just east of the temple, the structural framing is in place for the on-site meetinghouse. Several months of construction remain ahead.
Photo: Elton Sequeira
Praia Cape Verde Temple Turns Yellow
A waterproofing sealer has been applied to the concrete block walls of the Praia Cape Verde Temple, including the tower, temporarily turning the building a bright yellow. The walls will later be painted a light taupe with white trim. Structural framing for the gabled roof of the meetinghouse has been installed over the exterior wall frame.
Photo: Elton Sequeira
Waterproofing the Walls of the Praia Cape Verde Temple
The concrete block walls of the Praia Cape Verde Temple are being coated with a waterproofing sealer to protect the structure against the island's high humidity. In preparation for interior work, the window openings are being covered and the building is being enclosed. The concrete frame for the meetinghouse has been erected.
Photo: Elton Sequeira
Arched Entrance to the Praia Cape Verde Temple
A high rounded arch can be seen on the facade of the Praia Cape Verde Temple, which will hold the inscription stone that designates the temple as the House of the Lord. The cutout for the cornerstone is also visible on the west side of the entrance closer to the ground. The building's structural walls are in place, but work continues on the tower and on the exterior walls for the two wings of the meetinghouse.
Photo: Elton Sequeira
Praia Cape Verde Temple Steeple Frame
The steeple frame has been erected atop the Praia Cape Verde Temple, which will later be capped with a dome-shaped cupola and lantern. The concrete block exterior walls have been completed, and the window openings will soon be boarded to allow interior work to move forward. The foundation slab for the adjoining meetinghouse has cured, and support columns are now being poured along the perimeter of the building.
Photo: Elton Sequeira
Preparing for the Praia Cape Verde Temple Tower
The spaces between the structural columns of the Praia Cape Verde Temple are being filled with sturdy concrete block while leaving openings for the windows. Framing for the pedestal of the steeple has been set, and forms are going up for the tower walls. Foundation work is well underway for the meetinghouse that will stand beside the temple.
Photo: Elton Sequeira
Concrete Frame for Praia Cape Verde Temple
The concrete frame for the Praia Cape Verde Temple has been poured and cured, and the crew is now setting concrete blocks to form the exterior walls of the building. While those supporting walls are constructed, metal posts are being used to hold the weight of the ceiling. A wing on the west side of the temple is visible in the accompanying photograph.
Photo: Elton Sequeira
Work Resumes on the Praia Cape Verde Temple
Construction on the Praia Cape Verde Temple was temporarily suspended following the implementation of a national State of Emergency by the Government of Cape Verde on March 28, 2020. The emergency order was lifted for the island of Santiago, where Praia is located, two months later on May 29. Work on the temple has now resumed with the construction of structural support for the main level of the temple.
Photo: Conner Covey
Setting Forms for the Praia Cape Verde Temple Foundation
Construction crews are setting concrete forms around the bands of rebar located atop the footings for the Praia Cape Verde Temple foundation. At the center of the building, where the baptismal font will be located, preparations for more complex concrete work are underway. Soil platforms were created for the buildings that will be retained with short block walls and ornamental fencing. Foundation work has not yet started for the meetinghouse.
Photo: Elton Sequeira
Footings Poured for the Praia Cape Verde Temple
At the construction site for the Praia Cape Verde Temple, footings have been poured over piles, and rebar is being set for the foundation of the building. On the east side of the property, much of the staircase has been constructed near the plot for the meetinghouse. Construction has been underway for just over nine months.
Photo: Elton Sequeira
Concrete Work at the Praia Cape Verde Temple
Crews are preparing for concrete work at the Praia Cape Verde Temple complex. Assembled bands of rebar and a concrete mixer sit in the staging area, ready for the upcoming pours that will create the footings and foundations for the buildings and a staircase that will provide access to the temple site from the east side of the property.
Photo: Elton Sequeira
Fill Dirt Compacted for the Praia Cape Verde Temple
Numerous loads of structural fill dirt have been dumped and compacted on the site of the Praia Cape Verde Temple in the areas where the temple and adjoining meetinghouse will be constructed. The work of drilling shafts for the pile foundations has also begun. Shoring up the soil and installing piles will create a solid base for the buildings in the temple complex.
Photo: Jovens Adultos Solteiros SUD CV Facebook page
Construction Activity Begins on the Praia Cape Verde Temple
A few construction vehicles have arrived at the site of the Praia Cape Verde Temple as site clearing, grading, and fill dirt dumping begin. Ground was formally broken for the temple on Saturday, May 4, 2019. The temple will stand next to the National Library of Cape Verde, established in 1999.
Photo: Lucilino Mendonça
Praia Cape Verde Temple Groundbreaking Ceremony
The groundbreaking ceremony for the Praia Cape Verde Temple was held on Saturday, May 4, 2019, with Elder Paul V. Johnson, president of the Europe Area, presiding. At the conclusion of the service, numerous members took the opportunity to turn dirt with the gold-painted shovels and to take photographs commemorating the joyful event.
Photo: Intellectual Reserve, Inc.
Groundbreaking Date Set for the Praia Cape Verde Temple
Elder Paul V. Johnson, president of the Europe Area, will preside over the groundbreaking ceremony for the Praia Cape Verde Temple on Saturday, May 4, 2019. Attendance at the site will be by invitation only, but the services are anticipated to be broadcast to meetinghouses within the proposed temple district. The temple and an adjoining meetinghouse will be constructed on the east side of Avenida Cidade de Lisboa in the Tahiti Chã de Areia neighborhood. Construction is expected to last about two years.