Salt Lake Temple

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Salt Lake Temple

Salt Lake Temple is the centerpiece of the 10-acre (4.0 ha) Temple Square in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Number 4
Dedication 6 April 1893 (6 April 1893) by
Wilford Woodruff
Site 10 acres (4 hectares)
Floor area 253,015 sq ft (23,506 m2)
Height 222 ft (68 m)
Preceded by Manti Utah Temple
Followed by Laie Hawaii Temple
Official website • News & images

Coordinates: 40°46′13.68480″N 111°53′31.04880″W / 40.7704680000°N 111.8919580000°W / 40.7704680000; -111.8919580000 The Salt Lake Temple is a temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) located on Temple Square in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. At 253,015 square feet (23,505.9 m2), it is the largest LDS temple by floor area. Dedicated in 1893, it is the sixth temple completed by the church, requiring 40 years to complete, and the fourth operating temple built since the Mormon exodus from Nauvoo, Illinois in 1846.[1]

Details

The Salt Lake Temple is the centerpiece of the 10-acre (4.0 ha) Temple Square in Salt Lake City, Utah. Like other LDS temples it is considered sacred by the church and its members and a temple recommend is required to enter, so there are no public tours. The church permitted Life to publish the first public photographs of the building's interior in 1938.[2] The temple grounds are open to the public and are a popular tourist attraction.[3] Due to its location at LDS Church headquarters and its historical significance, it is patronized by Latter-day Saints from many parts of the world. The Salt Lake Temple is also the location of the weekly meetings of the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.[4][ 1] As such, there are special meeting rooms in the building for these purposes, including the Holy of Holies, which are not present in other temples.

The official name of the Salt Lake Temple is also unique. In 1999, as the building of LDS temples accelerated, the church announced a formal naming convention for all existing and future temples. For temples located in the United States and Canada, the name of the temple is generally the city or town in which the temple is located, followed by the name of the applicable state or province (with no comma). For temples outside of the U.S. and Canada, the name of the temple is generally the city name (as above) followed by the name of the country. However, for reasons on which the church did not elaborate, the Salt Lake Temple was made an exception to the new guidelines and was not renamed the Salt Lake City Utah Temple.[5] The Provo City Center Temple, currently under construction, is the only other temple that does not follow the naming convention.[6]

The temple also includes some elements thought to evoke Solomon's Temple at Jerusalem. It is oriented towards Jerusalem and the large basin used as a baptismal font is mounted on the backs of twelve oxen as was the brazen sea in Solomon's Temple (see Chronicles 4:2-4). However, the literal interpretation of the Biblical verses has been disputed.[7] At the east end of the building, the height of the center pinnacle to the base of the angel Moroni is 210 feet,[8] or 120 cubits,[9] making this Temple 20 cubits taller than the Temple of Solomon.[10]

The temple is located in downtown Salt Lake City, with several mountain peaks close by. Nearby, a shallow stream, City Creek, splits and flows both to the west and to the south, flowing into the Jordan River. There is a wall around the 10-acre (4.0 ha) temple site. The surrounding wall became the first permanent structure on what has become known as Temple Square. The wall is a uniform 15 feet high but varies in appearance because of the southwest slope of the site.[11]

Temple construction and dedication

Stone being quarried at Little Cottonwood Canyon

The location for the temple was first marked by Mormon prophet Brigham Young, the second president of the church, on July 28, 1847, just four days after arriving in the Salt Lake Valley. The temple site was dedicated on February 14, 1853. Groundbreaking ceremonies were presided over by Brigham Young, who laid the cornerstone on April 6 of that year.[12] The architect was Truman O. Angell, and the temple is said to feature both Gothic and Romanesque elements.[13]

Sandstone was originally used for the foundation. During the Utah War the foundation was buried and the lot made to look like a plowed field to prevent unwanted attention from federal troops. After tensions had eased in 1858 and work on the temple resumed, it was discovered that many of the foundation stones had cracked, making them unsuitable for use. Although not all of the sandstone was replaced, the inadequate sandstone was replaced by quartz monzonite (which has the appearance of granite) from Little Cottonwood Canyon, located twenty miles (32 km) southeast of the temple site. Oxen transported the quarried rock initially, but as the Transcontinental Railroad neared completion in 1869 the remaining stones were carried by rail at a much faster rate.[12]

The capstone—the granite sphere which holds the statue of the Angel Moroni—was laid on April 6, 1892, by means of an electric motor and switch operated by Wilford Woodruff, the church's fourth president, thus completing work on the temple's exterior. The Angel Moroni statue, standing 12.5 feet (3.8 m) tall, was placed on top of the capstone later the same day.[14] At the capstone ceremony it was proposed by President Woodruff that the interior of the building be finished within one year, thus allowing the temple to be dedicated forty years to the day of its commencement. John R. Winder was instrumental in overseeing the completion of the interior on schedule; he would serve as a member of the temple presidency until his death in 1910. Woodruff dedicated the temple on April 6, 1893, exactly forty years after the cornerstone was laid.[12]

Symbolism

One of the original doorknobs of the temple

The Salt Lake Temple incorporates many symbolic adornments, similar to other LDS temples around the world. Symbolism is an important subject in the LDS faith.[15]

The golden Angel Moroni placed on the capstone of the temple symbolizes the angel mentioned in Revelation 14:6 that will come to welcome in the Second Coming of Christ. The six spires of the temple represent the power of the priesthood. The three spires on the east side are a little higher than those on the west: they represent the Melchizedek or "higher priesthood" and the Aaronic or "preparatory priesthood" respectively. The three spires on the east side represent the church's First Presidency and the twelve smaller spires on those three represent the Twelve Apostles. On the west side of the temple the Big Dipper appears, which represents how the constellation was used to help travelers find the North Star and help them on their way, in the same way the temple is viewed as a symbol to help people find their way back to Heaven. On the east side of the temple are "clouds raining down" representing the way God has continued revelation and still speaks to man "like the rains out of Heaven". Above each door appears the "hand clasp," which is a representation of covenants that are made within temples—a central point of the LDS religion. Around the temple there are several carved stones known as "sunstones" which represent Heaven, "moonstones" in different phases representing this life in its different phases, and "starstones" representing Jesus Christ. The center tower on each side contains a depiction of the All-Seeing Eye of God representing how God sees all things.[1]

Temple presidents

Details of Salt Lake City Temple construction
  1. Lorenzo Snow, 1893–1898
  2. Joseph F. Smith, 1898–1911
  3. Anthon H. Lund, 1911–1921
  4. George F. Richards, 1921–1938
  5. Stephen L. Chipman, 1938–1945
  6. Joseph Fielding Smith, 1945–1949
  7. Robert D. Young, 1949–1953
  8. ElRay L. Christiansen, 1953–1961
  9. Willard E. Smith, 1961–1964
  10. Howard S. McDonald, 1964–1968
  11. O. Leslie Stone, 1968–1972
  12. John K. Edmunds, 1972–1977
  13. A. Ray Curtis, 1977–1982
  14. Marion D. Hanks, 1982–1985
  15. Victor L. Brown, 1985–1987
  16. Edgar M. Denney, 1987–1990
  17. Spencer H. Osborn, 1990–1993
  18. George I. Cannon, 1993–1996
  19. Carlos E. Asay, 1996–1999
  20. Derrill H. Richards, 1999
  21. W. Eugene Hansen, 1999–2002
  22. L. Aldin Porter, 2002–2005
  23. M. Richard Walker, 2005–2008
  24. Sheldon F. Child, 2008–2011
  25. Oren Claron Alldredge Jr., 2011–present

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Satterfield, Rick, "Salt Lake Temple", Temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDSChurchTemples.com), retrieved 2012-10-11 
  2. ↑ "The Destiny of 747,000 Mormons is Shaped in These Hallowed Temple Rooms", Life 4 (1), January 3, 1938: 22–23, retrieved 2012-10-11 
  3. ↑ "Temple Square". Utah.com (Utah Office of Tourism). Retrieved 2012-10-11. 
  4. ↑ Craven, Rulon G. (May 1991), "Prophets", Ensign, retrieved 2012-10-11 
  5. ↑ "Temples renamed to uniform guidelines". Church News (Deseret News). October 16, 1999. Retrieved 2012-10-11. 
  6. ↑ Walker, Joseph (March 23, 2012). "It's official: the Provo City Center Temple". Deseret News. Retrieved August 10, 2013. 
  7. ↑ Hamblin, William J.; Seely, David Rolph (2007). Solomon's Temple: Myth and History. Thames & Hudson. pp. 191–193. ISBN 9780500251331. 
  8. ↑ "Salt Lake Temple". ldschurchnews.com. Retrieved 2012-10-11. 
  9. ↑ "What Was The True Origin Of The Biblical Cubit?". maranathachurchofgod.ca. Maranatha Church Of God (Barrie, Ontario, Canada). January 2011. Retrieved 2012-10-11. 
  10. ↑ Clorfene, Chaim (February 2007), Ezra's Temple, Herod's Temple and Ezekiel's vision of the Third Temple (111), Jewishmag.com, retrieved 2012-10-11 
  11. ↑ Hamilton 1992, p. 
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 Hanks, Marion D. "Salt Lake Temple". LDS FAQ. BYU Studies. Retrieved 2012-10-11. 
  13. ↑ Hawthorne, Christopher (Feb 14, 2002), Latter-Day Fortresses: The spooky charisma of Mormon temples, Slate.com, retrieved 2012-10-11 
  14. ↑ "Temple capstone laid 100 years ago", Church News, April 4, 1992, retrieved 2012-10-11 
  15. ↑ "Why Symbols?", Ensign, February 2007, retrieved 2012-10-11 

Further reading

External links

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