This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Paris' newest attraction certainly won't draw the millions who visit the Eiffel Tower, Louvre or Notre Dame Cathedral every year, but it will get its share of curious onlookers when it opens this spring.
France's first Mormon temple — located not far from the famed Versailles in Le Chesnay, just west of Paris — will welcome all comers April 22 for a free open house that will extend through May 13, the Utah-based Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announced Monday.
The spireless edifice — unlike most Mormon temples — will be dedicated May 21, after which only faithful Latter-day Saints with a "recommend" will be allowed to enter. France has about 38,000 Mormons and more than 100 congregations.
LDS Church President Thomas S. Monson unveiled plans to build a temple near Paris in 2011.
Mormons view temples as houses of God, places where they take part in their faith's highest rites, including eternal marriages.
There are 154 operating LDS temples around the globe, with 16 in Utah. A 17th is under construction in Cedar City.
David Noyce