Groundbreaking of the Antananarivo Madagascar Temple
Ground was broken for the Antananarivo Madagascar Temple on March 15, 2025, with Elder Denelson Silva — a General Authority Seventy and first counselor in the Africa South Area presidency — presiding. Among those in attendance was Toky Harilanto Andrianarivelo, the mayor of Antehiroka, who said that “the temple will change the lives of the people in the Antehiroka area.”
Elder Silva offered a dedicatory prayer on the site in Malagasy, the primary language spoken in Madagascar. “Father, many of Thy children in this land have dreamed of this day,” he prayed. “They worked hard, they prayed and expressed their love for Thee by striving to keep the commandments and to live in accordance with the covenants that they have made when they join Thy Church and kingdom on earth.”
Timeline of the Antananarivo Madagascar Temple
The Antananarivo Madagascar Temple was announced by Church President Russell M. Nelson on Oct. 3, 2021. Approximately three and a half years later, ground was broken for the temple on March 15, 2025, with Elder Denelson Silva presiding.
Architecture and Design of the Antananarivo Madagascar Temple
According to site plans released by the Church on Dec. 11, 2023, the Antananarivo Madagascar Temple will be a single-story building of approximately 10,000 square feet. The edifice will stand on a 9.8-acre site in Fokontany Andranoro, Ambohibao, Antehiroka, Andranomena, in the northwest sector of Antananarivo.
A meetinghouse currently is located on Lot 208 A, Fokontany Andranoro, Commune Ambohibao, in the locality of Antehiroka in Andranomena. The lot is just west of the RN4 national road, along a section known as Lalana Général Andrimahazo. Patron housing and arrival facilities are planned for the temple grounds.