Latter-day Saint Life

The Story Behind the Statues in the Rome Italy Temple Visitors' Center

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After the Church released a video showing a replica of the Christus and Jesus' twelve apostles have been placed in the Rome Italy Temple Visitors' Center, many have been wondering about these beautiful statues. 

Nearly 200 years after their original commission and creation, Bertel Thorvaldsen’s statues of Christus and the ancient 12 apostles are enjoying a homecoming of sorts.

Crafted in Rome by the renowned Danish/Icelandic sculptor Bertel Thorvaldsen in the early 1800s, the original 13 statues were commissioned for the historic Church of Our Lady, in Copenhagen, Denmark.

► You'll also like: 5 Things You Never Knew About the Christus Statue

Digital reproductions of the 13 works of art have been carved out of marble quarried in Carrara, Italy, the site of the marble used for the originals, with the modern replicas in position at the visitors’ center adjacent to the LDS Church’s Rome Italy Temple.

Mormon Newsroom—The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ official media site—released an update and video Wednesday about the long-since-announced statues at Rome’s temple site. In actuality, the statues have been in position since last fall.

Lead image from Deseret News
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