Samoa

The mother church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Samoa-Apia, standing along Beach Road facing Apia Harbour on land dedicated to Catholic worship since 1852. After the historic church was damaged by the 2009 earthquake, a new cathedral was rebuilt on the original footprint and opened in 2014 with a capacity of around 2,000 worshippers in place of the earlier 400 seats. Renowned for its intricately carved timber ceiling and stained-glass windows, it is the largest and most prominent church in Samoa.

Beach Road, Mulivai, Apia, Samoa

Photo: Tom Ackroyd, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

The Mother Temple of the Pacific Islands (Mashriqu'l-Adhkar), rising nearly 600 meters above sea level in the cool uplands of Tiapapata south of Apia; its cornerstone was laid in January 1979 by Head of State Malietoa Tanumafili II (the world's first reigning monarch to embrace the Baha'i Faith) and Hand of the Cause Ruhiyyih Rabbani, and the nine-sided 30-meter white-ribbed dome designed by architect Hossein Amanat after the traditional Samoan fale was dedicated on September 1, 1984.

Mother Temple of the Pacific Islands (One of Eight Continental Baha'i Houses of Worship Worldwide) and National Architectural Landmark of SamoaCross Island Road, Tiapapata Hills (8 km south of central Apia), Tuamasaga District, Upolu Island, Independent State of Samoa

Photo: CloudSurfer, CC BY 2.5, Wikimedia Commons

The spiritual heart of the Congregational Christian Church Samoa (EFKS) on the northwestern coast of Upolu at Malua, where London Missionary Society pioneers George Turner and Charles Hardie founded Malua Theological College in September 1844 (the second-oldest theological seminary in the South Pacific) and erected the coral-limestone Jubilee Chapel in 1894, famed for its stained-glass windows honoring Samoan missionaries across Melanesia and Micronesia.

Spiritual Mother Sanctuary of the Congregational Christian Church Samoa (EFKS), Second-Oldest Theological Seminary in the South Pacific (Founded 1844), and Historic 1894 Jubilee MonumentMain West Coast Road, Malua Village (12 km west of Apia), Sagaga Subdistrict, Tuamasaga District, Upolu Island, Independent State of Samoa

Photo: Sardon, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

The largest surviving ancient stone monument in Samoa and Western Polynesia, rising amidst the tropical rainforest of Letolo Plantation in Palauli District on southeastern Savai'i Island; constructed of dry-laid volcanic basalt boulders across two main phases between 1100 and 1600 CE with a base measuring 65 by 60 meters and a height of 12 meters, it served as a sacred ceremonial platform (tia seu) and ancestral sanctuary of paramount Samoan chiefs.

Largest Surviving Ancient Stone Structure in the Samoan Archipelago and Premier Prehistoric Stepped Pyramid of Western PolynesiaLetolo Plantation, Palauli Village, Palauli District, Southeastern Savai'i Island, Independent State of Samoa

Photo: NASA, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons

The first and principal mosque of the Independent State of Samoa and headquarters of the Western Samoa Muslim League (founded in 1986), standing beside Vaiusu Bay on the western approach to Apia on Upolu Island; named in honor of the Virgin Mary (Maryam in Surah 19 of the Quran), the sanctuary bridges indigenous Samoan Muslim worshippers and international residents with the surrounding Christian village culture of Fa'a Samoa.

First Official Mosque of the Independent State of Samoa and Central Sanctuary of the Western Samoa Muslim League (Founded 1986)Main West Coast Road, Vaiusu Bay Village, Faleata Subdistrict, Western Apia, Tuamasaga District, Upolu Island, Independent State of Samoa

Photo: Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons