Temple Square is the heart and soul of Salt Lake City. Not only is it the literal center around which the city's street grid system is built, but it's also the location of the Salt Lake Temple, the spiritual heart of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. The Salt Lake Temple, the largest LDS (Mormon) temple in the world, is located adjacent to the LDS World Headquarters, and is one of the church's most important places.
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| Temple Square in Salt Lake City |
I was so excited to see the big, beautiful temple (although only church members with a temple recommend from a bishop are allowed to enter, the grounds are open to the public and are a popular tourist destination), but I was so disappointed to find that the temple is undergoing a massive renovation project and that the entire building was covered in scaffolding.
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| the Salt Lake Temple |
Even though it was kind of noisy due to the construction and many parts of the square were blocked off for renovations, I still got to wander around and enjoy this beautiful part of town. Pairs of sisters (female Mormon missionaries) are stationed around the square and inside of various church buildings to offer free tours and answer any questions about the church, the square, the city's history, and more.
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| LDS World Headquarters |
The sisters come from all around the world and wear badges indicating what language that they can speak. They were super friendly but are there as ambassadors of the church and not actively trying to convert anyone.
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| beautiful gardens at Temple Square |
While the temple is considered to be a sacred space and is only open to members of the church in good standing, the other LDS buildings around the square are open to all, and all of them are free to visit. I stepped inside the big, beautiful Conference Center, which is where the church holds its biannual General Conference among other important gatherings.
The main thing that I wanted to see in the Conference Center was Christus, a marble statue which has become the symbol of the LDS Church, and which is almost instantly recognizable as "Mormon Jesus".
The original statue was sculpted in 1883 for the Lutheran Church of Our Lady in Copenhagen, Denmark
In the 1950s, the church president purchased a replica statue made from white Carrara marble from Tuscany, Italy and had it sent to Salt Lake City. Since then, it's become an iconic symbol of the LDS Church, and in 2020 a new symbol for the church was announced, which features an image of the Christus.
Christus by Bertel Thorvaldsen.
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| Christus, sometimes known as "Mormon Jesus" |
In the 1950s, the church president purchased a replica statue made from white Carrara marble from Tuscany, Italy and had it sent to Salt Lake City. Since then, it's become an iconic symbol of the LDS Church, and in 2020 a new symbol for the church was announced, which features an image of the Christus.
It's become so synonymous with the LDS church that, while technically sculpted for the Lutheran Church with replicas appearing at churches and cemeteries across the country, I still mostly just think of it as "Mormon Jesus".
The museum, which was really well done and beautifully organized, had various exhibits about Joseph Smith and replicas of church artifacts including the Golden Plates.
I was particularly impressed by the replica golden statue of the Angel Moroni which adorns the top of the Salt Lake Temple (among others around the world).
Another gallery held an exhibition about Mormon art from around the world, including this Arabic calligraphy of verses from the Book of Nephi from the Book of Mormon. I thought it was really interesting to see something like this because Arabic calligraphy of this type is nearly always done with verses from the Quran or from the Muslim Names of God (99 different attributes of God which are often used in prayer).
Next, I visited the Church History Museum, a free museum which tells the story of Joseph Smith, the LDS Church, and the early Mormon pioneers who settled in Utah.
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| Church History Museum |
If you don't know much about Mormonism, here's the short version:
In 1823, a young American man named Joseph Smith received a vision from the Angel Moroni, who informed him about golden plates buried in a hill in upstate New York. These plates, inscribed in an ancient language known as Reformed Egyptian, contained a record of ancient American peoples, who were descended from a group of Israelites who left the Holy Land on boats and sailed to America, as well as their later dealings with Jesus, who visited the Americas after his death and resurrection.
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| a painting of Joseph Smith |
Joseph Smith, using seer stones known as the Urim and Thummim given to him by the Angel Moroni, placed the Golden Plates in a hat to aid in the translation process, ultimately producing the Book of Mormon, published in 1830. Later, in the 1830s, he translated Egyptian mummy scrolls purchased from a traveling salesman, which resulted in the Book of Abraham and the Book of Moses, included in the Pearl of Great Price. These texts expanded on themes of creation, God's relationship with humanity, and provided insights into pre-mortal existence and God's home planet, known as Kolob.
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| a replica of the Golden Plates |
The museum, which was really well done and beautifully organized, had various exhibits about Joseph Smith and replicas of church artifacts including the Golden Plates.
There was also a section dedicated to the various translations of the Book of Mormon, which has since been published in 115 languages.
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| various translations of the Book of Mormon |
I was particularly impressed by the replica golden statue of the Angel Moroni which adorns the top of the Salt Lake Temple (among others around the world).
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| the famous statue of the Angel Moroni which adorns the top of the temple |
Another gallery held an exhibition about Mormon art from around the world, including this Arabic calligraphy of verses from the Book of Nephi from the Book of Mormon. I thought it was really interesting to see something like this because Arabic calligraphy of this type is nearly always done with verses from the Quran or from the Muslim Names of God (99 different attributes of God which are often used in prayer).
Read more: The Blog of Michael Desrosiers: Museum of Islamic Art
There were also exhibits showing what parts of the inside of the temple look like. While the temples are typically only open to church members, temples hold open houses after they finish construction or renovation for non-Mormons to take tours. I wanted to attend the open house in Bangkok, but unfortunately it didn't match up with my schedule. There's currently a temple under construction in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Maybe I'll be able to visit the open house there once it's complete.
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| an Arabic calligraphy of the Book of Nephi |
There were also exhibits showing what parts of the inside of the temple look like. While the temples are typically only open to church members, temples hold open houses after they finish construction or renovation for non-Mormons to take tours. I wanted to attend the open house in Bangkok, but unfortunately it didn't match up with my schedule. There's currently a temple under construction in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Maybe I'll be able to visit the open house there once it's complete.
After two weeks, the temples are consecrated and from then on are closed to the public.
After the Salt Lake Temple finishes its renovations, there will be an open house here as well. As the main LDS temple, I'm sure it will be impressive to see the inside!
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| a replica of the temple's baptismal font |
I had a great morning, and I learned a lot, not only about Mormonism, but about the Mormon pioneer history and culture that really permeates everything in Utah. Temple Square is a beautiful part of downtown Salt Lake City, and I'm glad that I had the chance to explore a bit on my first day in Utah.
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| Temple Square, with the temple on the left and the Tabernacle on the right |
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