Salt Lake Temple

Salt Lake Temple is the largest (of more than 120 around the world) and best-known temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is the sixth temple built by the church overall, and the fourth operating temple built since the Mormon exodus from Nauvoo, Illinois. The Salt Lake Temple is the most recognizable of all Latter-day Saint temples and is an international symbol of the church.



Groundbreaking 14 February 1853 by Brigham Young (the prophet & 2nd president of the church)
Designed by Truman O. Angell
Site 10 acres // Total floor area 253,015 sq ft // Height 210 ft
Exterior finish Granite
Temple design Gothic, 6 spire
Location 50 W. North Temple St. Salt Lake City, UT 84150




The Salt Lake Temple is the centerpiece of the 10 acre Temple Square in Salt Lake City, Utah. Although there are no public tours inside the temple (because it is considered sacred by the church and its members, a temple recommend is required), the temple grounds are open to the public and are a popular tourist attraction. Due to its location at LDS Church headquarters and its historical significance, it is patronized much by Latter-day Saints from many parts of the world.

The walls of the Salt Lake Temple are nine feet thick at the base and six feet thick at the top. It was the first temple to feature the prominent standing angel Moroni statue, which was created by Paris-trained sculptor Cyrus E. Dallin. Prior to that, the Nauvoo temple sported a flying angel weather vane. Additional statues after this pattern will continue to top nearly every temple thereafter.



The Angel Moroni depicts both a messenger of the restoration of the gospel and a herald of the Second Coming: "for the Son of Man shall come, and he shall send his angels before him with the great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together the remainder of his elect from the four winds" (JS-M 1:37).

The Angel Moroni is an angel that Joseph Smith, Jr. claimed visited him on numerous occasions, beginning on September 22, 1823. The angel was the guardian of the golden plates, which Smith said were buried in a hill near his home in western New York, and which he said were the source material for the Book of Mormon. Moroni is an important figure in the theology of the Latter Day Saint movement, and is featured prominently in Mormon architecture and art. Three Witnesses besides Joseph Smith said they saw Moroni in 1829 visions, as did several other witnesses who each said they had their own vision.


"Holiness to the Lord. The House of the Lord Built by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, commenced April 6, 1853 Completed April 6, 1893. It was President Woodruff dedicated the temple on April 6, 1893, exactly forty years after the cornerstone was laid.