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90-803: The Vernal Utah Temple is the fifty-first temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). The temple is located in Vernal and was the church's tenth temple built in Utah . When it was dedicated on November 2, 1997, the Vernal Temple was unique for being the church's only temple built from a previously existing structure. Since 1997, the Copenhagen Denmark , Manhattan New York , and Provo City Center temples have been similarly adapted from existing structures. Originally,

180-573: A baptismal font . Because the Saints had to abandon Nauvoo, the building was not entirely completed. The basement with its font was finished, as were the first floor assembly hall and the attic. When these parts of the building were completed, they were used for performing ordinances (basement and attic) or for worship services (first floor assembly hall). The Nauvoo Temple was designed in the Greek Revival style by architect William Weeks , under

270-535: A clock tower and weathervane reaching to a total height of 165 feet (50 m)—a 60% increase over the dimensions of the Kirtland Temple. Like Kirtland, the Nauvoo Temple contained two assembly halls, one on the first floor and one on the second, called the lower and upper courts. Both had classrooms and offices in the attic. Unlike Kirtland, the Nauvoo Temple had a full basement which housed

360-580: A band and choir. The room could accommodate up to 3,500 people. Because there were pulpits on both ends of the room, the pews had movable backs which could be swung to face either direction, depending on who was presiding - the Melchizedek Priesthood or the Aaronic Priesthood. Access to the first floor mezzanine was directly from landings of the two staircases in the west end of the building. A foyer, corresponding in size to

450-455: A controversial race-based policy . As of 2023 , all temple ordinances are unavailable to lesbian , gay , or bisexual persons who are in a same-sex marriage or homosexual sexual relationship, and to all transgender individuals who are transitioning or have transitioned. These restrictions have also garnered criticism from both outside, and inside the LDS church. To qualify for

540-433: A conversation with Woodruff, Logan Temple president Marriner W. Merrill stated that the contemplated public announcement prohibiting additional polygamist unions was "the only way to retain the possession of our temples and continue the ordinance work for the living and dead which was considered of more importance than continuing the practice of plural marriage for the present." Latter-day Saint temple building halted until

630-422: A decorative element beneath a vase or something similar. They may have been part of a feature planned, but not used, in the final construction. Every visitor who wrote about the temple mentioned the baptismal font. It was clearly the most impressive feature of the temple. There were actually two fonts built during the lifetime of the temple, a temporary wooden one, and a permanent limestone one. The first font

720-542: A desire to continue the ordinance work in temples was a significant consideration preceding Wilford Woodruff's decision (announced in his Manifesto of September 1890 ) that the church would discontinue its practice of polygamy . In 1887 the US Congress passed the Edmunds–Tucker Act , which disincorporated the church and directed federal officials to begin seizing its assets, potentially including its temples. After

810-454: A global scale, church leaders announced an end to the one-year waiting period in most cases, except in relation to converts to the church, who are still required to wait a year after their own confirmation before entering the temple. Nauvoo Temple The Nauvoo Temple was the second temple constructed by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints . The church's first temple

900-429: A large baptismal font in the center of the main room. The basement was accessed by spiral staircases at the northwest and southwest corners of the temple. The staircase landing was made of wood and opened to a short hallway heading east, leading to the basement proper. Between the two hallways was an unfinished room sealed off from the rest of the temple, containing an old well that had been dug but never used. The room

990-400: A set of double pulpits and pews, but the room was never completed. Doors were never hung, the plastering was unfinished, and the floorboards were only rough timber, not the tongue and grove finished hardwoods of the other floors. The room, when used for an occasional meeting, was furnished with wooden benches. The second mezzanine was similar to the first floor mezzanine. It was accessed via

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1080-402: A stairway leading to a room in the mezzanine below. Rising from the plateau of the attic is an octagonal tower. The tower was divided into three sections, each accessible by a series of stairways leading from the attic to an observation deck at the top. The lowest section was the belfry. The bell was rung for various occasions. Between the observation deck and the belfry was a section containing

1170-682: A temple for the use of the Norwegian Latter Day Saints. Meanwhile, Young urged the Latter-day Saints in Nauvoo to redouble their efforts to finish the temple. By the end of 1845, the building was sufficiently finished to allow temple ordinances to be performed. Ordinances continued to be performed in early 1846 as the Mormons were forced to abandon the city. A small crew remained in the city and continued to work on

1260-642: A temple recommend, an LDS Church member must faithfully answer the following questions which affirm the individual's adherence to essential church doctrine: A list of questions were first introduced in 1857 and used to qualify whether an individual could enter the Endowment House , before the first temple in Utah was built. They reflected the context of the times, including questions about ones belief in polygamy, branding an animal that one did not own, and using another person's irrigation water. Since then,

1350-411: A temple soon after establishing their headquarters at Nauvoo, Illinois, in 1839. The 4-acre land for the temple was purchased in late 1840, for $ 1,100. On April 6, 1841, the temple's cornerstone was laid under the direction of Joseph Smith, the church's founder and president; Sidney Rigdon gave the principal oration. At its base the building was 128 feet (39 m) long and 88 feet (27 m) wide with

1440-625: A temple was built there in the future. Relative to other church tabernacles, Roger Jackson characterized the Uintah Stake Tabernacle as relatively modest, without the decorative details found on tabernacles in central and northern Utah. Nonetheless, he wrote, "the building is the most prominent structure in Vernal and considered the finest building in all of eastern Utah." The tabernacle was superseded by an adjacent, more modern stake center in 1948. Only used irregularly thereafter,

1530-506: A temple, only church members in good standing who have a valid temple recommend are permitted to attend the ceremony. In many nations outside the United States, a civil ceremony, where required by the law of the land, has been immediately followed by a temple sealing. In the United States, a one-year waiting period between the civil ceremony and a temple sealing was required until 2019. In May 2019, to standardize sealing policies on

1620-400: Is a process which culminates in the participation by the couple in a ritual called the sealing ordinance; which involves pronouncing the couple as having a permanent marriage bond which persists even beyond death. This ceremony, among others, is taught as being vital to an individual's and family's exaltation status, following the final judgment . With the sealing ordinance being held inside

1710-696: Is displayed, along with the only moonstone on display, at the Joseph Smith Historic Center of the Community of Christ . From 1937 to 1962, the LDS Church reacquired and restored the lot on which the temple stood. The church bought the portion that initially housed the temple in an uncontested public auction on February 19, 1937, for $ 900, after previously being listed and protected by the bank at auction several times because prices were lower than expected. Wilford C. Wood then bought

1800-450: Is inconclusive. However, Joseph Smith's youngest son, David Smith, rendered a painting of the temple's damaged facade, clearly shows half-circular windows at the basement level in the north and south corners of the facade. The staircase in the northwest corner was never completed. It was roughed in with temporary boards resting on the risers. Workmen used this staircase to gain access to the building during its construction, especially during

1890-663: The Tabernacle was considered a "portable temple" by the children of Israel in the Old Testament. The first Latter-day Saint temple ceremonies were performed in Kirtland, Ohio , but differed significantly from the endowment performed on the second floor of Joseph Smith 's Red Brick Store in Nauvoo, Illinois, and the Nauvoo Temple . Kirtland ordinances included washings and anointings (differing in many ways from

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1980-589: The succession crisis , Brigham Young assumed control of the church's headquarters at Nauvoo, Illinois. While he and the rest of the Quorum of the Twelve made contingency plans for abandoning the city, he may have hoped that it would not prove necessary. For example, in early 1845, Young convened a conference at the Norwegian colony at Norway, Illinois , and announced a plan to build a Latter-day Saint town there with

2070-425: The "architect's room." Their eventual intended use is not clear. At the east and west ends of the hall were two sets of similar pulpits. Resembling the pulpits used in the Kirtland Temple, and repeated in later temples, they were arranged with four levels, the top three consisting of a group of three semi-circular stands. The lowest level was a drop-table which was raised for use in the sacrament . The pulpits to

2160-461: The City of Zion plan and designated four of these to contain temples: Salt Lake City (1847), St. George (1871), Manti (1875), and Logan (1877). The St. George Temple was the first to be completed in 1877, followed by Logan (1884) and Manti (1888). The Salt Lake Temple took 40 years to complete because of various setbacks and delays. It was dedicated in 1893. In the late 1880s and in 1890,

2250-779: The First Presidency also dedicated a number of temples during Monson's administration. As of October 2018, Monson's successor, Russell M. Nelson , has dedicated the Concepción Chile Temple . The LDS Church has 367 temples in various phases, which includes 201 dedicated temples (192 operating and 9 previously-dedicated, but closed for renovation ), 3 scheduled for dedication , 48 under construction , 1 scheduled for groundbreaking , and 114 others announced (not yet under construction). It has been suggested that recent temple construction represents an attempt by church leadership to “re-energize” congregations in

2340-764: The High priests Quorum, and the folding table had the inscription P.E.Q. standing for President of the Elders Quorum. Above the Eastern pulpits, written in gilded letters, along the arch of the ceiling, were the words,"The Lord Has Seen Our Sacrifice - Come After Us." The pulpits to the West end were reserved for the Aaronic Priesthood . Each pulpit similarly had initials identifying the priesthood officers who occupied that stand. The highest three pulpits bore

2430-401: The Kirtland Temple. Like Kirtland, the temple contained two assembly halls, one on the first floor and one on the second, called the lower and upper courts. Both had classrooms and offices in the attic. Unlike Kirtland , it had a full basement which housed a baptismal font. The limestone used for the original temple was quarried from a site just west of the temple. Much of that quarry, however,

2520-459: The LDS Church announced the tabernacle's closing in 1984 for public safety reasons. Among other things, the tabernacle lacked indoor bathrooms and access for the disabled. A local "Save the Tabernacle" committee was formed, and in 1989 a preservation study was prepared. The LDS Church opted to turn the building into one of its temples, and plans were announced in 1994. In addition to preserving

2610-607: The LDS Church's agents sold the building to David T. LeBaron, for $ 5,000. Finally, the New York Home Missionary Society expressed interest in leasing the building as a school, but around midnight on October 8–9, 1848, the temple was set on fire by an unknown arsonist. Nauvoo's residents attempted to put out the fire, but the temple was gutted. James J. Strang , leader of the Strangite faction of Latter Day Saints, accused Young's agents of setting fire to

2700-421: The basement floor. The rooms were dressing rooms for those using the font. The floor was made of red brick laid in a herringbone pattern. The walls were painted white. The floor sloped down to the center of the room to allow water to run toward a drain beneath the font. During an archaeological investigation of the temple site, two highly polished limestone blocks were discovered. Approximately twelve feet east of

2790-522: The building served as the Uintah Stake Tabernacle for Latter-day Saints in eastern Utah. The Tabernacle's foundation was constructed of nearby sandstone with walls built of four layers of fired brick from local clay . The building was built with considerable donated labor from the fall of 1899 until it was dedicated on August 24, 1907, by LDS Church president Joseph F. Smith . Smith reportedly said he would not be surprised if

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2880-497: The church began to build a temple on the original site with an exterior that is a replica of the first temple, but whose interior is laid out like a modern Latter-day Saint temple . On June 27, 2002, a date that coincided with the 158th anniversary of the death of Joseph and Hyrum Smith , the temple was dedicated by the LDS Church as the Nauvoo Illinois Temple . The Latter Day Saints made preparations to build

2970-498: The church dedicated the Nauvoo Illinois Temple , whose exterior is a replica of the first temple, but whose interior is laid out like a modern LDS temple . At its base the Nauvoo Temple was 128 feet (39 m) long and 88 feet (27 m) wide with a tower and weather vane reaching to 164 feet (50 m). The second temple of the Latter Day Saint movement was built 60 percent larger in dimensions than its predecessor,

3060-530: The church's other temples, the Vernal Utah Temple was closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic . Temple (LDS Church) Upon completion, temples are usually open to the public for a short period of time (an "open house"). During the open house, the church conducts tours of the temple with missionaries and members from the local area serving as tour guides, and all rooms of the temple are open to

3150-469: The city and vigilantes from the neighboring region, including Carthage, Illinois , entered the near-empty city and vandalized the temple. Initially the church's agents tried to lease the structure, first to the Catholic Church , and then to private individuals. When this failed, they attempted to sell the temple, asking up to $ 200,000, but this effort also met with no success. On March 11, 1848,

3240-406: The condition of exaltation after the final judgment . They are also taught that a vast number of dead souls exist in a condition termed as spirit prison , and that a dead individual upon whom the temple ordinances are completed will have a chance to be freed of this imprisoning condition. In this framework ordinances are said to be completed on behalf of either the participant, or a dead individual

3330-640: The dead , washing and anointing (or "initiatory" ordinances), the endowment , and eternal marriage sealings . Ordinances are a vital part of the theology of the church, which teaches that they were practiced by the Lord's covenant people in all dispensations . Latter-day Saints cite various Old Testament references to temple ordinances such as those found in Exodus 29:4–9 , Exodus 28:2–43 and Leviticus 8:6–13 . The words "HOLINESS TO THE LORD" can be found on LDS temples as referenced in Exodus 28:36 . Likewise

3420-420: The dead. The initiatory, endowment, and sealing ceremonies are today performed only within a temple. The sealing ordinance can be performed on behalf of dead couples; so long as the two living participants are of opposite sex they need not be married. It is also performed on behalf of living couples who wish to be legally married. In this manner, the ordinance is typically performed as a celestial marriage , with

3510-475: The direction of Joseph Smith. Weeks became disaffected from the church in 1847 and Truman O. Angell later took his place as the primary architect. His design made use of distinctively Latter Day Saint motifs, including sunstones, moonstones, and starstones. It is often mistakenly thought that these stones represent the three degrees of glory in the Latter Day Saint conception of the afterlife, but

3600-657: The east wall of the vestibule was an entablature, similar to the one in the facade, which read in bright gilded letters, "THE HOUSE OF THE LORD - Built by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints - Commenced April 6th, 1841 - HOLINESS TO THE LORD." The two stairwells were constructed of dressed limestone walls. One rose from Northwest corner and the other at the Southwest corner of the temple. They were not true circles but were flatted on four sides. Nor were they symmetrical, being sixteen feet in diameter from East to West and seventeen feet in diameter from North to South. This

3690-563: The east wall opened to the first floor assembly hall of the lower court, known as the "Great Hall". Two doors, one on the North wall, and another on the South opened to the landing of two spiral staircases, one in the Northwest corner, and the other in the Southwest corner which led all the way to the attic. These were the only access points to the rest of the building. One report stated that on

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3780-603: The east, standing between the windows, were reserved for the Melchizedek Priesthood . Accordingly, each pulpit had initials identifying the priesthood office of the occupant. The top most pulpits read P.H.P. , which stood for President of the High Priesthood. The next level down had P.S.Q for President of the Seventy Quorums. Below that, the labels were P.H.Q. which stood for President of

3870-595: The endowment rather than live actors. Joseph Fielding Smith dedicated a temple in Ogden, Utah , and Harold B. Lee dedicated its twin in Provo, Utah . Spencer W. Kimball began a plan to build many more smaller temples according to standardized plans. Twenty-one temples were dedicated during his presidency, including the tiny Papeete Tahiti Temple —which has a floorspace of less than 10,000 square feet (900 m ). This trend has continued. Nine additional temples were dedicated in

3960-426: The entrance to the baptistry and ten feet from either the side of the support piers rested the blocks, roughly fourteen inches square, which projected seven inches (178 mm) above the brick floor. These objects are not mentioned in any account of the basement, and their purpose is unknown. They may have held some type of support columns, dividing the font from the entrance to the basement, or they may simply have been

4050-486: The exterior, bringing the building up to code, and altering the floor plan, the eastern spire of the temple was elongated to make it taller than the spire of the neighboring stake center. A golden statue of the angel Moroni was placed on top of the spire facing east, which is a common element of many other church temples. Over 120,000 visited the temple during its two-week open house in October 1997. In 2020, like all of

4140-504: The face of flat numerical growth. Most temples are built facing east, the direction from which Jesus Christ is prophesied to return. The spires and towers on the east end of multi-spired temples are elevated higher than spires and towers on the west side for this same reason, and to represent the Melchizedek, or higher, priesthood. Some temples, such as Salt Lake , Chicago , and Washington D.C. , have triple spires on each side of

4230-536: The façade. Soon afterwards, all evidence of the temple disappeared, except for a hand pump over a well that supplied water to the baptismal font. Three of the original sunstones are known to have survived and are on display—one is on loan to LDS Church's Visitor Center in Nauvoo, one is in the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C, and the third and only one that has not been restored

4320-524: The first members of Smith's Quorum of the Anointed , or Holy Order, as it was also known, were made on May 3, 1842. The walls of the second level of the Red Brick Store were painted with garden-themed murals, the rooms fitted with carpets, potted plants, and a veil hung from the ceiling. All the while, the ground level continued to operate as Smith's general mercantile. After the early events of

4410-446: The font easier. A well on the east side of the font provided the water supply. There may have been some kind of tank at the eastern end of the baptistry to store and heat water. A flight of eight broad steps led to a landing where two more steps entered three archways. These archways led to the vestibule, the formal entrance to the temple. The archways were approximately nine feet wide and twenty-one feet high. The vestibule itself

4500-463: The foyer area where the vestibule would be. This made the room about seventeen feet longer. A 41-foot-long (12 m) stone arch ran north and south between the circular stairwells supporting the massive timbers for the tower above. It had seven large windows along the north and south wide, with four windows along the east wall. The floor would have a similar configuration as the Great Hall with

4590-460: The idea the marriage bond lasts after their death, or for "time and all eternity". A "time only" modification can be made to the ordinance, such as when the surviving widow of a celestial marriage wishes to legally remarry. In addition to the ordinances listed above, 19th-century temples were host to other ordinances that are no longer practiced such as the baptism for health and baptism for renewal of covenants. In 1922, Heber J. Grant discontinued

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4680-640: The initials P.A.P. , which stood for President of the Aaronic Priesthood. The next lower pulpits had P.P.Q. , for President of the Priests Quorum. Again, the next had P.T.Q. , for President of the Teachers Quorum and on the table at the bottom was written P.D.Q. , for President of the Deacons Quorum. Similar to the Kirtland Temple, the hall was fitted with enclosed pews with two aisles running down its length. There were also pews for

4770-466: The interior of the temple; however, on May 27, 1850, Nauvoo was struck by a major tornado which toppled one of the walls onto eight stone masons. One source claimed the storm seemed to "single out the Temple", felling "the walls with a roar that was heard miles away". Cabet ordered the demolition of two more walls in the interests of public safety, leaving only the façade standing. The Icarians used much of

4860-515: The majority of the remainder of the temple square in 1940, 1941, and 1951 and transferred it to Corporation of the Presiding Bishop of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints . The Corporation bought the remainder of the property with purchases in 1959, 1961 and 1962. In 1999, church president Gordon B. Hinckley announced the rebuilding of the temple on its original footprint. After two years of construction, on June 27, 2002,

4950-473: The modern portion) and the washing of the feet ordinance. For nearly four years, beginning in 1842, Smith's Red Brick Store functioned as a de facto temple—the site of the first washings, anointings, endowments, and sealings. In contrast, the grand edifice known as the Nauvoo Temple was in operation for only two months before the Latter Day Saints left Illinois for the West. Preparations to initiate

5040-486: The practice of baptisms for health in the church. The second anointing is a rare, but currently practiced ordinance for live participants, and (less commonly) vicariously for deceased individuals, though, it is usually only given in absolute secrecy to a small number of members after a lifetime of service. The LDS Church booklet " Preparing to Enter the Holy Temple " explains that Latter-day Saints "do not discuss

5130-639: The presidency of Ezra Taft Benson and two in the brief presidency of Howard W. Hunter . Under church president Gordon B. Hinckley , the church dedicated 77 temples. In 1997, Hinckley introduced a standardized, smaller temple plan designed to bring temple services to smaller or remote congregations at a reduced cost. The first of this new generation of temples was completed in 1998 with the Monticello Utah Temple . The original plan called for 6,800 square feet (630 m ), later increased to 10,700 square feet (990 m ). Subsequent revisions to

5220-476: The presidency of Joseph F. Smith , who announced two additional temples: Cardston, Alberta (1913), and Lāʻie, Hawaiʻi (1915). Cardston became the first Latter-day Saint temple dedicated outside of the United States. Smith broke with the previous tradition (established since Kirtland) of building temples with upper and lower courts. Temples previously had been ever larger, but the Laie Hawaii Temple

5310-776: The public. The temple is then dedicated as a "House of the Lord", after which only members who are deemed "temple-worthy" by their congregational leaders are permitted entrance. Temples are not churches or Meetinghouses designated for public weekly worship services, but rather are places of worship open only to the faithful where certain rites of the church must be performed. The LDS Church has 367 temples in various phases, which includes 201 dedicated temples (192 operating and 9 previously-dedicated, but closed for renovation ), 3 scheduled for dedication , 48 under construction , 1 scheduled for groundbreaking , and 114 others announced (not yet under construction). There are temples in many U.S. states, as well as in many countries across

5400-430: The recommend, indicating their approval of that member's worthiness. The individual also signs the recommend, acknowledging the responsibility to remain eligible to hold the recommend. Most recommends are valid for two years. Temple ordinances have historically been unavailable to some members. For about 130 years (between 1847 and 1978) all LDS endowment-related temple ordinances were denied to all Black women and men in

5490-489: The remainder of the floor space East of the vestibule. The room was flanked on either side by seven large, arched windows, with four similar windows along the east wall. An arched ceiling spanned some fifty feet in breadth, in the center. the floor was stained wood and the walls were painted white. There were two rooms to the north just past the entrance. It has been suggested that these rooms were used initially by William Weeks , because they are referred by Thomas Bullock as

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5580-505: The same sex as the participant ("on behalf of the dead" or "by proxy"). Ordinances performed in the temple include: Most ordinances are performed by proxy only on participants who have already completed the ordinance. Similarly, most ordinances are completed only one time for a participant in a lifetime and all subsequent temple ordinance participation is seen as acting for a dead individual. Baptism, confirmation, and priesthood ordination are usually performed in temples only when on behalf of

5670-469: The second floor assembly room, there is no evidence that these rooms were ever completed, except perhaps for the partitions dividing each room. There was a staircase in the second room from the Southeast corner leading to a room above, providing another access method to the attic. At the top of the two stairways, opening to a foyer, was the attic floor. The attic was not built of limestone but of wood. It

5760-479: The standard design further increased the size and complexity of the temples. The majority of the temples dedicated under Hinckley's tenure were of the smaller design, but one particularly noteworthy achievement was the rebuilding of the temple in Nauvoo, Illinois , known as the Nauvoo Illinois Temple . Hinckely's successor, Thomas S. Monson , dedicated 26 temples during his time as church president. His counselors in

5850-424: The starstones are at the top of the temple ("crown of twelve stars"), the sunstones in the middle ("clothed with the sun") and the moonstones at the bottom ("moon under her feet"). Construction was only half complete at the death of Joseph Smith in 1844. After a succession crisis , Brigham Young was sustained as the church's leader by the majority of Latter Day Saints in Nauvoo. As mob violence increased during

5940-595: The stones appear in the wrong order. Instead, Wandle Mace, foreman for the framework of the Nauvoo Temple, has explained that the design of the temple was meant to be "a representation of the Church, the Bride, the Lamb's wife". In this regard, Mace references John's statement in Revelation 12:1 concerning the "woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars." This explains why

6030-482: The summer of 1845, he encouraged the Latter Day Saints to complete the temple even as they prepared to abandon the city, so portions of it could be used for Latter Day Saint ordinance , such as baptisms for the dead in the basement font. During the winter of 1845–46, the temple began to be used for additional ordinances, including the Nauvoo-era endowment , sealings in marriage, and adoptions . The Nauvoo Temple

6120-728: The temple for time only. It may only be used in conjunction with a standard temple recommend. A limited-use recommend is available to members who have not yet received their endowment or who have not been a member for one year. These may also be issued to a group for a single visit to the temple, to youth 11 and older, or to others for specific cases. Those without recommends occasionally need to enter temples after dedication during fires, medical emergencies, or building inspections. They are escorted by temple personnel during such visits. Temples may offer introductory tours to new local firefighters and emergency medical technicians during regularly scheduled maintenance periods. The LDS temple wedding

6210-444: The temple ordinances outside the temples". To enter the temple, an individual must be baptized, and after one year, may seek a temple recommend , which authorizes admission to the temple. The person is interviewed by their bishop , during which the candidate is asked a series of questions to determine worthiness to enter the temple. The individual is also interviewed by his or her stake president . The bishop and stake president sign

6300-432: The temple recommend questions have changed significantly, though less so in recent years. The standard temple recommend authorizes a member who has been baptized at least one year prior to take part in all temple ordinances and is valid for two years. A recommend for living ordinances is given to individuals who are participating in the endowment for the first time, being sealed to a spouse, or anyone being married in

6390-699: The temple representing three different offices in both the Melchizedek and Aaronic priesthood . A statue of the Angel Moroni , stands atop many temples built after the Salt Lake Temple. The statue design represents the Latter-day Saint belief that Moroni was the angel spoken of in Revelation 14. LDS Church members perform rituals (termed ordinances ) within temples. They are taught that temple ordinances are essential to achieving

6480-613: The temple until April 30, 1846, when it was formally dedicated in a private ceremony by Joseph Young , the senior of the Seven Presidents of the Seventy . It was used for three months, then abandoned in late summer 1846. The completed temple was eventually destroyed by fire, and the remaining structure was later demolished by a whirlwind . Upon reaching the Great Basin , Brigham Young began to build settlements based on

6570-424: The temple's stone to build a new school building on the southwest corner of the temple lot. By 1857, however, most of Cabet's followers had left Nauvoo and over time many of the original stones for the temple were used in the construction of other buildings throughout Hancock County . In February 1865, Nauvoo's City Council ordered the final demolition of the last standing portion of the temple—one lone corner of

6660-399: The temple. However, Strang's charges were never proven. On April 2, 1849, LeBaron sold the damaged temple to Étienne Cabet for $ 2,000. Cabet, whose followers were called Icarians , hoped to establish Nauvoo as a communistic utopia . After the fire of October 9, 1848, only the four exterior walls remained standing. Cabet and his followers began clearing rubble and trying to reconstruct

6750-410: The two staircases at the West end of the building. There was no foyer connecting the two stairwells. The second floor mezzanine is also presumed to have been divided into fourteen small rooms, seven rooms along each side of the North and South walls of the building, between the arched ceiling of the second floor. Circular windows in the entablature of the building allowed for illumination. Just as with

6840-421: The vestibule below, connected the two stairway landings. Evidence suggests that this mezzanine had fourteen small rooms, seven along each side of the North and South wall. Each room had a small circular window supplying light. These rooms may never have been completed, except perhaps some kind of partition dividing them. The second floor hall was similar in construction to the Great Hall, except that it included

6930-478: The water caused a mildew odor, and possibly because the wood had begun to rot. The new limestone font followed the pattern of the wooden one. Twelve oxen held up the basin, four on each side and two at each end. The oxen were solid stone and similarly were placed and appeared sunken into the floor. Where the oxen met the basin, the stone was carved to suggest drapery. The ears of the oxen were made of tin. The stairs were moved to an east/west orientation making access to

7020-421: The winter of 1845-1846 when persons were using the other staircase to reach the attic for ordinance work. The southwest staircase was completely finished for use. It included lamps for night illumination, and may have been carpeted near the attic landing. Entrance to the first floor assembly hall, called the "Great Hall", was through two large double doors at the east end of the vestibule. The Great Hall occupied

7110-460: The world. Several temples are at historical sites of the LDS Church, such as Nauvoo, Illinois , Palmyra, New York , and Salt Lake City, Utah . The importance of temples is often emphasized in weekly meetings, and regular participation in "temple work" is strongly encouraged for all Latter-day Saints (LDS). Within temples, members of the church make covenants , receive instructions, and perform sacred ceremonies and ordinances , such as baptism for

7200-474: Was built out of tongue and grooved white pine and painted white. It was sixteen feet long, twelve feet wide and four feet deep. The lip of the font was seven feet from the floor. The font's cap and base were carved molding in an "antique style" and the sides were finished with panel work. Two railed stairways led to the font from the north and south sides. The font was held up by twelve oxen as are almost all temple fonts. They were carved from pine planking that

7290-432: Was completed in Kirtland, Ohio , United States , in 1836. In the winter of 1846, when the main body of the church was forced out of Nauvoo , the church attempted to sell the building, finally succeeding in 1848. The building was damaged by arson and a tornado before being demolished. In 1937, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) reacquired the lot on which the original temple had stood. In 2000,

7380-427: Was composed of two sections. The West end of the temple was a flat roofed section that supported the tower. The rest of the attic was a pitched-roof section running the length of the temple. The flat-room section was further divided into two sections, the foyer on the west side, and a suite of rooms to the east. When the attic was used for ordinance work, they were used as a pantry, wardrobe and storage rooms. The area

7470-466: Was discovered by an anti-Mormon mob who broke through the floor of the vestibule above. The basement proper was one hundred feet long and forty feet wide with six rooms of varying sizes on either side. The sides of the rooms were stone and abutted the massive stone piers that supported the floors above. With the exception of the two rooms at the western end of the basement, reportedly used for clerical purposes, each side room rose two steps in height from

7560-411: Was done to support landings and other support structures. The staircases, made of wood, provided access to all of the temple from the basement to the attic with a landing at each floor. They had lamps for illumination at night, and had windows for daytime illumination. William Weeks' elevation of the front facade does not show windows at the basement level of the two stairwells, and photographic evidence

7650-403: Was forty-three feet by seventeen feet in dimension. It was composed of limestone on all four of its walls. The floor has been speculated to be made of wood, because when the mob occupied the temple briefly in late 1847, they broke through the floor to reach a sealed off room in the basement. Had the floor been limestone, it seems unlikely that they would have dug it up. Two large double doors on

7740-409: Was glued together. They were patterned from the most beautiful five-year-old steer that could be found in the region. The head, shoulders and legs protruded beyond the base of the font, and they appeared to have sunk to their knees into the pavement. The most perfect horn that could be found was used to model the animals' horns. A decision was made to replace the wooden font in 1845, apparently because

7830-405: Was illuminated by six windows along the foyer's west wall. Outside windows also provided light along the north and south sides. The roof had four octagonal skylight windows to provide light to the interior rooms, in addition to a twenty-foot arched window. The incline of the roof prevented a six-foot-tall man from standing erect along the outside wall. The second room from the south-east corner had

7920-503: Was in use for less than three months. Most of the Latter Day Saints left Nauvoo, beginning in February 1846, but a small crew remained to finish the temple's first floor, so that it could be formally dedicated. Once the first floor was finished with pulpits and benches, the building was finally dedicated in private services on April 30, 1846, and in public services on 1 May. In September 1846 the remaining Latter Day Saints were driven from

8010-627: Was smaller than the Nauvoo Temple had been. Both Cardston and Laie were dedicated under church president Heber J. Grant , as was a temple in Mesa, Arizona . George Albert Smith dedicated the next temple in Idaho Falls, Idaho . David O. McKay dedicated five additional temples including one in Bern, Switzerland —which was the first temple dedicated in Europe and the first temple to use film recording of

8100-466: Was submerged by rising water behind the Keokuk Dam in 1912. Therefore, Russellville, Alabama, subsidiary of Minnesota's Vetter Stone Company, was chosen by the Church to provide stone for the new temple. Church officials say the quarry was selected because it provided stone that is a close match to the limestone originally used. The basement of the Nauvoo Temple was used as the baptistry , containing

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