Temple API

A comprehensive, open-source REST API providing data for all temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Features

• ✅ Complete data for all 217+ dedicated temples
• ✅ Detailed information: dates, locations, status, facts, coordinates
• ✅ High-quality temple images hosted via GitHub LFS
• ✅ Automatic weekly updates (Mondays 3:15 AM UTC-11)
• ✅ JSON API served via GitHub Pages
• ✅ MIT Licensed - free for any use

API Endpoints

Base URL: https://smootar.github.io/temple-api

All Temples

GET /api/v1/temples.json

Returns all temples with basic information.

Individual Temple

GET /api/v1/temples/{temple-id}.json

Returns detailed information for a specific temple.

Example: /api/v1/temples/salt-lake-temple.json

Temples by Status

GET /api/v1/temples/dedicated.json
GET /api/v1/temples/under-construction.json
GET /api/v1/temples/announced.json

By Status Parameter

GET /api/v1/temples/status/dedicated.json
GET /api/v1/temples/status/under-construction.json
GET /api/v1/temples/status/announced.json

Data Structure

Temple List Item

{
  "id": "salt-lake-temple",
  "name": "Salt Lake Temple",
  "location": "Salt Lake City, Utah, USA",
  "status": "Dedicated",
  "dedicated": "April 6, 1893",
  "coordinates": {
    "latitude": 40.7704,
    "longitude": -111.8918
  },
  "image": "/images/salt-lake-temple.jpg",
  "thumbnail": "/images/thumbs/salt-lake-temple.jpg"
}

Detailed Temple Data

{
  "id": "salt-lake-temple",
  "name": "Salt Lake Temple",
  "location": "Salt Lake City, Utah, USA",
  "country": "United States",
  "state": "Utah",
  "status": "Dedicated",
  "timeline": [
    {
      "milestone": "Announced",
      "date": "January 1, 1853"
    },
    {
      "milestone": "Groundbreaking",
      "date": "February 14, 1853"
    },
    {
      "milestone": "Dedicated",
      "date": "April 6, 1893",
      "by": "Wilford Woodruff"
    }
  ],
  "coordinates": {
    "latitude": 40.7704,
    "longitude": -111.8918
  },
  "address": "50 W North Temple, Salt Lake City, UT 84150",
  "facts": [
    "The Salt Lake Temple took 40 years to build.",
    "It is the largest temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.",
    "Features six spires, the tallest reaching 210 feet."
  ],
  "image": "/images/salt-lake-temple.jpg",
  "thumbnail": "/images/thumbs/salt-lake-temple.jpg",
  "images": [
    "/images/salt-lake-temple-1.jpg",
    "/images/salt-lake-temple-2.jpg"
  ]
}

Data Sources

All data is sourced from official Church websites:

• churchofjesuschristtemples.org
• churchofjesuschrist.org

Data is automatically updated weekly to ensure accuracy.

Usage Examples

JavaScript/TypeScript

// Fetch all temples
const response = await fetch('https://smootar.github.io/temple-api/api/v1/temples.json');
const temples = await response.json();

// Fetch specific temple
const temple = await fetch('https://smootar.github.io/temple-api/api/v1/temples/salt-lake-temple.json');
const data = await temple.json();

Swift

let url = URL(string: "https://smootar.github.io/temple-api/api/v1/temples.json")!
let (data, _) = try await URLSession.shared.data(from: url)
let temples = try JSONDecoder().decode([Temple].self, from: data)

cURL

curl https://smootar.github.io/temple-api/api/v1/temples.json

Contributing

This project is currently private but will be open-sourced in the future. Contributions will include:

• Data corrections and updates
• Additional temple information
• New features and endpoints
• Documentation improvements

Update Schedule

The API is automatically updated every Monday at 3:15 AM UTC-11 (2:15 PM UTC) via GitHub Actions.

License

MIT License - See LICENSE for details.

The temple images and data are sourced from official Church websites and are used in accordance with their terms of service.

Disclaimer

This is an independent project and is not affiliated with or endorsed by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. For official information, please visit churchofjesuschrist.org.

Roadmap

• Initial data collection (217 dedicated temples)
• Image hosting via GitHub LFS
• API deployment to GitHub Pages
• Weekly auto-update via GitHub Actions
• Documentation website
• Temples under construction
• Announced temples
• Historical temple data
• Geospatial queries
• GraphQL endpoint

Contact

For questions or issues, please open an issue in this repository.

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Note: This project is currently in development. Initial data collection in progress.