Mormon Temple - Salt Lake, UT

Mormon Salt Lake Temple
The Mormon Salt Lake Temple, dedicated in 1893, is located in Temple Square in Salt Lake City, Utah. The largest and most recognizable of the 120 temples around the globe belonging to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, it serves as the most sacred and valued holy places in the Mormon religion. The fourth temple to be constructed after the great Mormon exodus of 1847 from Nauvoo, Illinois, this temple is unique from the others due to its heritage and connection with the headquarters of the Mormon Church. Its interior is also unique, containing a Holy of Holies, where the Church's Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and First Presidency meetings were conducted. Another unique item about the Salt Lake Temple is that it escaped a church-wide name change that swept all the temples at the turn of the millennium. The heads of the LDS Church had decided that all temples be named with the city and the state name, followed by the word, "Temple," all without commas - for example, the correct name of the Salt Lake Temple would then be Salt Lake City Utah Temple. However, for reasons that can only be guessed at as a nod to the historical and sacred heritage of this particular temple within the chain, the name remained the traditional "Salt Lake Temple."

Like many grand structures of the era, the Salt Lake Temple's construction was a lengthy process. The location for the temple was decided by LDS prophet and second president Brigham Young, just four days after arriving in Utah from Illinois, on July 28, 1847. However, while the Mormons established themselves in the region, it would still be a few years until the site was dedicated and construction began on the site on February 14, 1853. That following April 6 th, Brigham Young laid the sandstone cornerstone of the temple's foundation. However, construction on the temple soon halted as tensions were rising between the dispute of the territory's control - a dispute that erupted between the Mormon Settlers and The United States Federal Government in an event known as The Utah War. To avoid the temple's foundation from being destroyed as a target, it was covered and made to look like a field. After The federal government's victory and the easing of tensions, work resumed, only to find that the sandstone had proved too weak, and had cracked. A new granite foundation was soon constructed. The rest of the exterior was constructed with granite as the temple was crafted into a Gothic architectural style, with six spires. Work began at a much faster rate in 1869 as the Transcontinental Railroad provided faster transportation of granite blocks from Little Cottonwood Canyon to the work site, replacing the slower oxen.

At the end of construction, the temple's capstone was placed via electronic motor by the church's fourth president, Wilford Woodruff. The interior of the temple was then finished in one year, on April 6, 1893, exactly forty years after the cornerstone was placed.

Today, the Salt Lake Temple is the centerpiece of Temple Square, a 10-acre site in Utah that is home the religious, political, and administrative centers of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Nearly five million visitors a year visit Temple Square, making it the most popular tourist attraction in Utah. Visitors cannot actually go in the temple itself, as it is considered sacred, but visitors can stop by one of two designated Visitor's Centers within Temple Square. The site, among other things, is also home to concerts by the world-famous Mormon Tabernacle Choir, as well as one of the world's largest displays of Christmas lights during the Holiday season.