Situated in the southwestern city of St. George, the temple was designed by Truman O. Angell, displaying greater architectural similarities to the Nauvoo Temple rather than the church's subsequent temples. The St. George Temple is the oldest temple still actively used by the church. It has three ordinance rooms and 18 sealing rooms, covering a total floor area of 143,969 square feet (13,400 m2). The St. George Temple was the first where church members could perform all temple ordinances for their ancestors.
History
Brigham Young, the church's president, announced the construction of the St. George Temple on November 9, 1871.[3] Young selected St. George for the temple’s location, citing the presence of loyal church members in the area and a desire to unify a region considered challenging to settle.[4] St. George was founded by 309 families as part of an initiative announced at General Conference called the "Cotton Mission," intended to support the local economy through cotton production.[5][3] At the announcement, some were a "mix of emotions," and others were said to shout "Glory, hallelujah!"[4][5] The settlement period posed challenges of starvation and economic hardship, and the construction of the temple provided both employment and a source of economic stability.[6]
At the time of the St. George Temple’s announcement, the Salt Lake Temple was still in the early stages of construction and would not be completed and dedicated for another 22 years, until 1893.[7] The St. George Temple met an immediate need for a place to conduct temple ceremonies and ordinances,[8] and it later became the first temple where members could perform all ordinances for their ancestors.[9] The temple became the third completed by the church and the first in Utah[10] following the Latter-day Saints' migration westward after the death of church founder Joseph Smith.[11]
Young chose a six-acre plot as the temple site, and, despite health difficulties, he supervised the construction from a winter home nearby.[12][13] When workers encountered swampy conditions at the chosen site and suggested relocation, Young remained firm that this was the site for the temple.[14] A 1942 interview with a local resident stated that Young said the location had been dedicated by ancient Nephites (a people described in The Book of Mormon) for a temple.[15] This account, however, surfaced nearly 70 years after Young’s death and is not documented during his lifetime.[15] Young also sent scouts to explore additional potential sites for the temple.[15]
To address the issue, workers created drains to eliminate as much water as possible before adding in stone for the foundation. Teams of oxen brought large lava rocks from a nearby quarry to the site to be crushed into gravel, creating a dry foundation for the temple. Workmen suggested using an old cannon the city had acquired to crush the stone.[16]
The cannon, originally made in France, was reportedly used by Napoleon during his siege on Moscow. It was left behind during his retreat, eventually finding its way to Siberia, then Alaska, and later in California. Members of the Mormon Battalion acquired the cannon, mounted it on wheels, and brought it to Utah. After creating a pulley system using horsepower, workers filled the cannon with lead, encased in timbers, lifted it thirty feet in the air, and used it as a pile driver to compact the foundation.[17][18] Young told the workmen that "when the cannon was dropped and it bounced three times, then the foundation was solid enough."[19]
The cannon used as a piledriver.The temple under construction, the lower half of the sandstone being prepared for a whitewash coating
Following the stabilization of the foundation, construction on the temple began. The walls were built with locally sourced red sandstone, finished with a plaster coating for a white appearance.[20] The workers donated one day in ten as tithing labor, and historians James Allen and Glen Leonard made note of the pioneer's dedication to building the temple in Southern Utah.[citation needed] Some members donated half their wages to the temple, while others gave food, clothing, and other goods to aid those who were working full-time on the building. Women decorated the interior with handmade carpets, along with fringe made for the altars and pulpits all from Utah-produced silk.[16] Local local church members took six years to complete the temple.[21][16]
At its completion, it contained 1,000,000 board feet (2,000 m3) of lumber, which had been hand-chopped and hauled between 40 and 80 miles (60 and 100 km). They also used 17,000 tons of volcanic rock and sandstone, hand-cut, then hauled by oxen.[16]
To commemorate the finished structure, on April 6, 1877, the church's general conference was held there, during which the dedicatory prayer and services took place.[22] It was first dedicated by Daniel H. Wells, Brigham Young's second counselor in the First Presidency.[23] The St. George Temple was the only temple completed during Young's 29 years as church president and remains the oldest temple still in active use by the church.[3][24]
Old plan of the cupola
Cupola
Young was initially displeased with the height of the tower, but because construction had taken so much time, historians speculate that he did not want to delay the project any longer.[4] Two years after his death, in 1883, the tower was struck by lightning, resulting in a fire that destroyed the tower, while leaving the rest of the temple unharmed.[4] Local legends vary in interpretation, some narratives suggesting the lightning strike and subsequent fire were perceived as a means to appease Brigham Young, while alternative accounts propose that he may have instigated the event.[25][26] The reconstructed tower doubled in height as a homage to Young's expressed preference.[4]
Story on the Founding Fathers
According to an account by Wilford Woodruff, then temple president and apostle, in August 1877, the spirits of the founding fathers and other "eminent" historical figures appeared to him in the St. George Temple. They requested that the rite of the endowment be performed on their behalf, noting that it had not been done despite the Endowment House's long use.[27][28][29][30] Woodruff documented these occurrences over multiple occasions spanning two days and two nights in his personal journals.[28][30] Subsequently, baptisms and endowments were performed for these individuals in the temple by John D. T. McAllister, Woodruff, and other church members in the area, contributing to ordinance work for a total of 100 men and women.[31][32] Some individuals mentioned in these records include George Washington, Christopher Columbus, John Wesley, and Marie Antoinette.[27][29][33][32] Shortly after the accounts of these visitations, 85 Native American Chiefs had baptisms performed on their behalf.[34][35]
Renovations
The former temple annexThe current temple annex
Over its history, the temple has experienced ten renovations, including repairs to the cupola necessitated by the previously mentioned lightning strike.[36] Noteworthy upgrades occured in 1917, which included an enlargement of the annex.[37] In 1938, significant modifications were made to the floor plan, involving the relocation of endowment rooms from the basement to the main level, the introduction of murals, and the alignment of the temple with architectural trends of the 20th century.[37] In 1975, the annex was expanded to facilitate the transition from live actors to a film presentation of the endowment.[37][38]
On November 4, 2019, the temple temporarily closed for renovations.[39][40] During this period, crews removed certain 20th-century additions to restore the original architectural style while also incorporating seismic upgrades.[41] Renovations throughout the building and on the site included motifs such as a five-point gold star and a quatrefoil.[41] Other additions included a skylight, a bride's plaza, trees and landscaping improvements, an entrance to the baptistry, steel trusses, murals, a new annex, as well as updated electrical,heating, and cooling systems.[36][41][42]
Design
The temple seen from the southeast corner
The temple was designed by Truman O. Angell under Brigham Young's supervision.[8] Angell, who worked as a carpenter on the Kirtland and Nauvoo temples, incorporated architectural elements from both.[43] The temple has a rectangular shape made up of two stories, an octagonal spire, and a large assembly hall. The temple is situated on a 6.5-acre plot (2.6 ha) with multiple pedestrian plazas, along with gardens, seating elements, and a tiered water feature.[43][8]
Exterior
While the St. George Temple has a similar overall layout to the Kirtland and Nauvoo temples, the exterior designs differ. The temple combines Neo-Gothic Architecture with a French Norman Revival Style, with parapets and battlements, with hexagonal staircases inside the towers.[8] Certain elements like the neoclassical pilasters of Nauvoo and Kirtland were replaced with thin buttresses, and in the space between them, he added a porthole motif.[9][8] Contemporary temples such as the Salt Lake City, Logan, and Manti Temples were designed to have the appearance of a fortified castle.[44] The temple spans a total of 143,969 square feet (13,400 m2).[43]
Interior
Historically, the temple was originally designed with two large assembly halls akin to the earlier Kirtland and Nauvoo temples.[43][8] The lower Assembly Hall was divided with curtains to facilitate ordinance rooms for the endowment ceremony.[43] Currently, the temple's interior comprises a large assembly hall, a baptistry (for performing baptisms for the dead), three rooms designated for ordinances (such as the endowment and initiatory), and eighteen sealing rooms (where sealings are performed to eternally unite a husband and wife or children to their parents).[8][45][46]
Following the renovations in 2023, the temple was updated to reflect the historical pioneer era.[41] According to Andy Kirby, the director of the Church's historic temple renovations, "The interior design matches the historic temple and furnishings that would have been appropriate in the 1870s and 1880s."[47] Lighting fixtures match the time period with wheel-cut glass shades with a gothic/grapevine design.[47][48] The millwork is period-specific throughout the building.[48] Additionally, new murals were introduced for each instruction room, commissioned by three different artists. Each was crafted to "capture the rugged natural beauty of the southwest Utah landscape."[41]
Like all temples of the church, the St. George Temple is not used for Sunday worship services.[49] To members of the church, temples are regarded as sacred houses of the Lord and are only accessible to members with a current temple recommend.[49] The visitors’ center, however, is open to the public.[41][50]
