Palmyra New York Temple

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The Palmyra New York Temple is the 77th operating temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

The site for the Palmyra New York Temple, atop a wooded hill in pastoral western New York, is in an area prominent in the early history of the Mormon Church. Nearby is the grove of trees in which the founder and first prophet of the Church, Joseph Smith, said he had a vision in which he saw God the Father and Jesus Christ. The temple grounds are also on the grounds where Smith's family had an old log cabin. The Church itself was organized only thirty miles away in Fayette, New York 1830.

At the groundbreaking ceremony, held May 25, 1999, current Church President Gordon B. Hinckley commented on the area's rich history, saying that it was in that New England area where Mormonism truly began. President Hinckley also marveled at how much the Mormon Church had grown since its founding in 1830.

Local reaction to the new temple was positive and more than 30,700 visitors toured the new temple before its dedication. The temple serves about 18,000 members within seven stakes, or groups of Mormon congregations. The Palmyra New York Temple was dedicated on 6 April 2000, the 170th anniversary of the organization of the Mormon Church. While only about 1,200 members attended the dedicatory sessions within the temple itself nearly 1.5 million members took part through media broadcasts throughout the United States and Canada.

The Palmyra New York Temple has a total of 10,700 square feet, two ordinance rooms, and two sealing rooms. The exterior is white marble. Forty art glass windows inside the temple depict local events in Mormon Church history. A gold statue of the angel Moroni tops the single spire. Beautiful carved cherry wood railings, wainscoting, and moldings line the halls, along with hand-sculpted carpeting.