A TALL TEMPLE intricately carved out of wood by a renowned artist and volunteers was burned to the ground last night in Northern Ireland.

The sculpture, known simply as Temple, is by David Best, known for his work with the Burning Man Festival in the USA’s Nevada desert.

The 22-meter Temple opened this year, and visitors were invited to ‘bring messages, photographs or mementos to the structure’.

Niall Carson Niall Carson

A sign at the entrance advised visitors to ‘leave a memory behind, let go of the past’.

The sculpture attracted thousands of visitors, and many left messages behind.

And last night, it was set alight, watched by thousands of people.

Niall Carson / PA Wire Niall Carson / PA Wire / PA Wire

“We’re hoping that by building this temple across both communities that the ultimate burning can been seen in that light and that it will bring a very different meaning to the idea of a bonfire in Northern Ireland,” Helen Marriage, director of Artichoke, said previously.

Some people weren’t too keen on it, however. BBC News reports that a local Presbyterian Minister said the temple was ‘pagan’ and could “leave people open to the “influence of the occult and Satan”.

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