The oldest still-functioning temple in the Church

Last updated on: October 12, 2019 at 12:24 am by Dan Peterson

The oldest still-functioning temple in the Church 2019-10-12T00:24:35-06:00 Dan Peterson

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The St. George Utah Temple is the oldest temple still in use by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and the first built by the Saints in Utah after their exodus from the United States. (LDS.org)

My wife and I attended a session this evening in the St. George Utah Temple. It was our last opportunity to do so before the temple closes on 4 November 2019 for massive renovations that will require the better part of three years. The result of those renovations will be not only a much improved building (including seismic upgrades) but a building that will be returned to something more like the aesthetic vision of those who originally created it in the nineteenth century. As a counselor in the temple presidency told us tonight, during its most recent renovation there were many features introduced into it that are redolent of the 1970s rather than the 1870s, and those will be removed.

The Las Vegas Nevada Temple (LDS.org)

I was gratified to see that the session that we attended was filled very near to (its considerable) capacity. While the temple is closed, people in the area will be obliged to attend either the Cedar City Utah Temple, about an hour away, or the Las Vegas Nevada Temple, which is roughly two hours distant. It might seem at first glance that the choice is obvious. But the temple in Cedar City is rather small and it’s already quite busy. So Las Vegas, which is relatively large, may actually be the better bet.

This painting by Casey Childs hangs in the foyer of the St. George Utah Temple. It depicts President Brigham Young (left), late in his life, going over the records of the ordinances performed in the temple with Elder Wilford Woodruff of the Council of the Twelve, who was the first president of the St. George Utah Temple and who would eventually serve as the fourth president and prophet of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints altogether. (I found the painting on Pinterest and hope that I’m committing no major offense against copyright by posting it here. If so, I apologize and will happily take it down.)

The St. George Utah Temple is positively drenched in history. In honor of the completion of the temple, the first one built in Utah and the only one completed in Utah during the presidency of Brigham Young, the April 1877 General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was held in St. George. The temple dedication ceremony took place on 6 April 1877. While Brigham Young presided at the dedication, it was his second counselor, Daniel H. Wells, who actually gave the dedicatory prayer. Shortly after the conference and the dedicatory services, President Young returned to Salt Lake City. He died there, at age seventy-six, on 29 August 1877.

The St. George Utah Temple was substantially remodeled in the mid-seventies and was rededicated by President Spencer W. Kimball on 11 November 1975. I attended its public open house.

Posted from St. George, Utah

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