In 1974, the Mormon Church built the beautiful Washington D.C. Temple, the first temple since the Los Angeles Temple to include an assembly hall for special meetings.  This beautiful temple has become a symbol of Mormonism’s growth, especially in the eastern United States, and includes a beautiful visitor’s center and its famous Christmas lights.

The 1970s also saw the growth of the number of temples in foreign lands.  In 1978, the first Mormon temple in South America was built in Sao Paulo, Brazil, a country which has one of the largest populations of Mormons outside the United States.  Temples were also begun in Tokyo, Japan; Apia, Samoa; Santiago, Chile; and Mexico City, Mexico.  Each temple was beautifully crafted as an expression of Mormons’ worship of God.  The Tokyo Temple, the first Mormon temple in Asia, was built after much sacrifice by the tens of thousands of Japanese who had joined the Mormon Church since the first Mormon missionaries arrived in 1901.  Throughout the 1980s, temples were built in Washington State, Georgia, Tonga, Tahiti, Australia, South Africa (the first on that continent), Sweden, and in numerous U.S states. Additional temples were built in California, Utah, and Idaho.  In 1985, a temple was built in Korea, where Mormon missionaries had begun preaching following the Korean War.  One of the most unlikely temples was the Freiberg Germany Temple, built in Soviet-controlled East Germany.  Thomas S. Monson, then counselor to President Ezra Taft Benson, had previously overseen the Mormon Church’s operations in Europe and, through his friendships with East German leaders, obtained approval for the only Mormon temple in history in a communist land.  It was dedicated in 1985.  In 1987, a second German temple was built in West Germany, in Frankfurt am Main.

By the late 1980s and early 1990s, temple construction had become an almost constant phenomenon in the Mormon Church. Even faithful Mormons could not keep track of where every temple was located.  In 1995, when Gordon B. Hinckley became the fifteenth prophet and president of the Mormon Church, there were 47 Mormon temples, which were located on every inhabited continent.  There were 8 in Utah, 17 in the rest of the United States, 2 in Canada, 5 in Europe, 3 in Asia, 1 in Africa, 6 in South America, and 5 in Australia and the Pacific Islands.

God has revealed to modern Mormon prophets like Joseph Smith that certain ceremonies can only be performed in temples.  Mormons called these sacred temple ceremonies, ordinances.  Ordinances are symbolic ceremonies which teach truths about God through which a person can enter into powerful covenants with God.

Inside the Mormon temple there are primarily two ordinances performed for the members of the Mormon Church. The first of these Mormon temple ceremonies is known as the temple endowment, and the second as the sealing ordinance, key to celestial (or eternal) marriage. The first ordinance is designed for individuals, and the second is designed to create eternal families. These ordinances are very sacred and holy, so faithful Mormons don’t discuss their details outside of the temple, even with each other.  While no doctrine is taught in Mormon temples that is not taught publicly, the ceremonies themselves are viewed as very sacred and very personal.

Mormons who have participated in these sacred Mormon temple ceremonies make covenants with God.  As a reminder of the covenants they have made, faithful Mormons wear special garments at all times under their clothes.  These sacred garments, which some people outside of the Mormon Church refer to as Mormon underwear, are an outward expression and symbol of the covenants Mormons have made with God and of the promises God has made to man.

Not only are the temples provided so that Mormon temple ceremonies can be done for the living, but Mormon temple ordinances can also be done for those who are dead. Mormons believe that earthly ordinances must be performed, even for those who are no longer capable of performing those ordinances for themselves. There are many people who have lived on this earth without ever hearing the name of Jesus Christ, or coming to understand the sacrifice He made for them. Would God be just in consigning them to hell for not believing in someone of whom they had never heard?

All of the ordinances offered in the Mormon temple for living members of the Mormon Church are also performed by proxy for those who have passed on. Temple marriage, sealings, and endowments are performed with someone symbolically standing in for the person who is deceased. Baptisms are also performed by proxy for these people who have passed on.  Baptisms for the dead, as they are called, are perhaps the most widely known Mormon temple ceremony.

Because we have no way of knowing who will or will not accept the gospel of Jesus Christ, temple ordinances are performed for everyone who has passed on. To have a family member who has passed on baptized by proxy does not commit that deceased person to accept a “Mormon baptism.” Instead, it merely gives that person the opportunity to accept or reject the ordinance as he or she chooses.

In order to discover those who died without having had a chance to accept baptism in the name of Jesus Christ through His authorized servants, Mormons believe that genealogy and family history research are important works.  Mormons have amassed the world’s largest genealogical index, and it is available online to help everyone search for their deceased ancestors.  Mormons believe that the interest people have for searching for their lost ancestors is a work inspired by God to bless all of His children.  To begin searching for your ancestors, see Familysearch.com.

Meanwhile, the Mormons built other temples in places central to their widespread population, which soon covered all of what is now Utah, as well as parts of Nevada, Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, and Arizona.  Temples were constructed simultaneously in St. George, Manti, Salt Lake City, and Logan; all in Utah.  In each case, Brigham Young, Prophet and President of the Mormon Church, selected the spot and oversaw the design.  While these temples went forward with less persecution than had either of the first ones, there were numerous challenges, especially environmental challenges, as the Mormon pioneers sought to build their Zion in the desert.  Large stones had to be hauled by oxen and wagon since no trains were available until 1869. In 1857, when Johnston’s Army invaded Utah because of false rumors about a rebellion, the completed foundations of the Salt Lake Temple, which had been laid on April 6, 1853, had to be buried for fear that the army might mistake a building with such thick stone foundations for a fortress.  After the foundation was dug out, the stones were found to be cracked and had to be replaced.

In 1877, the first Mormon temple in the Rocky Mountains was completed in St. George.  It was dedicated in a ceremony overseen by Brigham Young, which proved to be his only temple dedication in Utah.  Brigham Young died in August of 1877.  In January of 1877, the first Mormon temple ceremonies, endowments and sealings, were performed on behalf of the dead.  Baptism for the dead had been practiced in the 1840s, but no Mormon temple had been complete long enough to permit the other Mormon temple ceremonies to be performed for the dead.  It was in the St. George temple that the revelations regarding these ceremonies were received by Mormon prophet Wilford Woodruff. God revealed that the dead should also be sealed to their parents.  In this temple, too, President Woodruff had a vision of the founding fathers of the United States and saw many prominent figures in world history, whose works had been inspired by God to improve mankind and to prepare the world for the Restoration of the full gospel of Jesus Christ.

In 1884, the Logan Temple was dedicated and, for the first time, the Mormon Church had two temples operating at once.  In 1888, the Manti Temple was dedicated.  In April of 1892, the exterior of the Salt Lake Temple was finished, and the temple was crowned with its now famous statue of the Angel Moroni, which has become a symbol of Mormonism.  One year later, the interior was completed, and on April 6, 1893, exactly 40 years after it was begun, the Salt Lake Temple was dedicated by President Wilford Woodruff.  The Salt Lake Temple is both the largest and most famous Mormon temple. It is also unique.  It is the only temple with meeting rooms for the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and President of the Mormon Church and also includes a spacious meeting hall used in sacred meetings.  Most Mormon temples do not have such rooms.

Since the first Mormon temple was dedicated in 1836, 124 temples have been built, though the first two, the Kirtland Temple and the Nauvoo Temple were lost as the Mormons fled persecution.  Since the Mormons settled in Utah, they have continued building temples wherever there are sufficient members, and those in outlying areas are encouraged to attend the Mormon temple at least once in their life.  The building of temples signifies the maturity of the Mormon Church in a particular region, as can seen in Japan, Ghana, Switzerland, or Mexico.  Since the 1970s, over 100 temples have been built, with most of those in the period between 1997 and 2004 during the great building expansion program of Prophet and President Gordon B. Hinckley.  The following traces the history of Mormon temples from 1830 to 2006.

Time Periods:

Origins of the Mormon Temple

As early as 1830, Joseph Smith received revelations indicating that God would require the young Mormon Church to build a temple.  Even earlier, the Book of Mormon, which Joseph Smith had translated from the records of an ancient people who lived in the Americas, taught that God had commanded this people to build temples, just as God had commanded the ancient Israelites.  … (read more)

The Kirtland Temple

In Ohio, the Mormons were building their community in Kirtland, a small community southeast of Cleveland.  In May of 1833, at the same time the Mormons in Missouri were being driven from their homes, Joseph Smith received a revelation commanding the Mormons to build a House of the Lord in Kirtland to be “dedicated unto the Lord for the work of the presidency”…(read more)

The Nauvoo Temple

After the abortive attempts to build temples in Missouri, both in Jackson County and later in Far West, Daviess County, the Mormons built their first true temple in Nauvoo, Illinois.  In late 1838, the Mormons had been forcibly expelled from Missouri by the infamous Extermination Order which decreed that all Mormons who would not flee the state would be murdered… (read more)

Mormon Temples in the Rocky Mountains

On July 24, 1847, the first group of Mormon pioneers, led by Brigham Young and the Quorum of the Twelve reached the Salt Lake Valley.  Four days later, Brigham Young marked the spot for the building of their next temple which would serve as the center of their new city, Salt Lake City…(read more)

Mormon Temples and the Expanding Church

After most of the turbulence of the nineteenth century, which witnessed much persecution against the Mormons, the Mormon Church began to grow worldwide in the twentieth century.  In 1915, President Joseph F. Smith announced the construction of the Laie Hawaii Temple, the first temple outside the continental United States…(read more)

Worldwide Growth: Mormon Temples in Asia, Oceania, Africa, and Europe

Under President David O. McKay, who was president and prophet of the Mormon Church from 1951 to 1971, the Mormon Church once again concentrated itself on missionary work.  Under President McKay, every worthy young man was asked to serve as a Mormon missionary, and the number of Mormon missionaries grew from a few thousand in the 1951 to tens of thousands by the 1970s…(read more)

Temples to Dot the Earth

In 1995, Gordon B. Hinckley became President and Prophet of the Mormon Church.  Perhaps no person in Mormonism since Joseph Smith has had such an impact on Mormon temples and the presentation of Mormon temple ceremonies.  After World War II, he helped oversee the project to transition Mormon temple instructional material to film to ease translation into foreign languages…(read more)

Mormon Temples Today

By 2006, there were 122 operating temples with 12 either in the planning or construction phase.  President Hinckley said that the pace will slow from tremendous surge seen in the late 1990s and early 2000s, but will continue until there are temples to dot the earth and to bless all of God’s children.  Currently there are Mormon Temples in dozens on countries….(read more)

A visit to the Kirtland Temple

Gordon B. Hinckley has dedicated more temples than all other Mormon leaders combined.  Of the 122 Mormon temples operational as of 2006, President Hinckley dedicated more than 70, or almost 60% of all Mormon Temples.

For the first couple years of President Hinckley’s tenure as prophet and president, the pace of construction continued has it had historically, with temples being being built in Honk Kong, Utah, Missouri, and England.  In 1997, President Hinckley announced a revelation he had received in which the Lord commanded the Mormon Church to build many more, smaller temples, sometimes referred to as mini-temples (though this name is discouraged as it belittles the important function and sanctity of temples).  While smaller than most previous temples such as the Salt Lake or the Washington D.C. temples, these are nevertheless built to high standards and are typically around 11,000 sq ft.  At the same time that he announced these new smaller, Mormon temples, President Hinckley also announced that by the end of the year 2000, there would be over 100 temples worldwide, which meant that nearly fifty would have be constructed in just over 3 years.

In the past, many Church members have had to travel great distances to attend the temple, sometimes at great sacrifice of time and money.  For LDS members in poorer countries, this sometimes meant that temple attendance was only possible for major events, such as marriage or the sealing of children to parents.  A poorer family might never have the opportunity to return to a temple to do work for the dead, or simply to worship or meditate.  By building smaller temples, at a lesser cost, and with quicker construction, the Church can bring temples to the members.

These small temples are often built from similar basic floor plans, but are adapted to the local area and culture in the fine details.  For example, the Columbus, Ohio, temple has windows designed to echo the unique windows of the Kirtland Temple.  The Winter Quarters Nebraska Temple has stained glass windows that honor the Mormon pioneers who wintered there in 1846.  The Snowflake Arizona Temple uses different colors of rock to reflect the beauty of its desert surrounding.  The first smaller temple was dedicated in Monticello, Utah, a rural area of Utah remote from the other temples.  On October 1, 2000, President Hinckley dedicated the 100th Mormon temple in Boston, Massachusetts.  By the end of the year there were 102 operating Mormon temples worldwide, two more than predicted.

Of the Mormon temples built since then, 45 have been the smaller variety and 26 have been unique, larger temples.  It would be impossible and overwhelming to discuss each temple, its inspiration, location, and dedication in a manner befitting these sacred structures and the faith of those who worship in them.  These temples of the Mormon Church represent the faith and sacrifice of Mormons everywhere and are a physical testament to the spiritual reality of life beyond death.  These smaller temples, as well as larger ones, have been built in dozens of countries on every continent.  A few have had symbolic meaning to Mormons worldwide as they represent  historic events.  These include the Winter Quarters Temple built where Mormons wintered in 1846 and where many Mormons died during the Mormon exodus to Utah, and the Palmyra New York Temple built near where Joseph Smith had his first vision and where he translated and published the Book of Mormon.

Other Mormon temples are important historically because they mark the growth of the Mormon Church and its maturity in many regions of the world.  In 1996, President Hinckley dedicated the Hong Kong Temple, which is not one of the smaller temples, but is unique in that due to land constraints in the densely populated city, this temple was built vertically and actually incorporates on its lower floors a chapel, while the temple occupies the upper floors.  The baptistery, which is always built below ground to symbolize the grave, is below the chapel.  This style was duplicated in the Manhattan New York Temple dedicated in 2004.  In 1999, after Hong Kong reverted to Chinese control, the Hong Kong temple became the first temple on Chinese territory and the second to stand on communist soil.

Mexico, which has over 1,000,000 Mormons, has perhaps received the most new temples, with nearly one dozen being built in the 1990s and early 2000s.  Smaller temples were also built throughout Latin America and the Caribbean.  Today, virtually every country in Central and South America has at least one temple, while some, like Brazil, have multiples.  In Europe there are Mormon temples in England, Spain, the Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, Switzerland, Finland, and Sweden with more planed in Eastern Europe, especially Ukraine.

In 1978, then President Spencer W. Kimball received a revelation opening up the blessings of the Priesthood and the Mormon Temple covenants to people of every race.  Since then, Mormon missionaries have proselytized in earnest in South America and Africa where hundreds of thousands have joined the Mormon Church.   In 2003, after much difficulty, a Mormon temple was built in Accra, Ghana, followed two years later by the temple in Aba, Nigeria.  Others, no doubt, will be built as need arises.  The Mormon Church is currently building a temple in Kiev, Ukraine, that will be the first temple built in the former Soviet Union, excluding the Freiberg Germany Temple which had been built during Soviet occupation.

In 2002, President Hinckley dedicated the rebuilt Nauvoo Temple, which for many Mormons was an important symbolic moment commemorating the sacrifice of the original Mormons, who built the temple under threat from mobs, and which they had had to abandon so soon after completing.  For many it symbolized that the Mormon Church had truly emerged from its past of ostracism and persecution.  The same was said, especially by non-Mormons, when the Mormon Church dedicated the Manhattan Temple which stands on Columbus Avenue across from the Julliard School and close to Central Park.  New York, like California and Texas, has seen an explosive growth in membership.

After the Mormon Church was established on April 6, 1830, the fledgling Mormon community faced intense persecution in upper New York.  Meetings were raided, baptismal services were interrupted, and members were harassed and scattered.  With the membership such a scattered condition, no temple could even be considered, since the Church’s survival was constantly threatened.  In late 1830, at the time of the first revelations to the Prophet Joseph Smith about gathering the Mormons together into one place, the Lord also revealed that Jesus Christ would come suddenly to his temple (compare Doctrine and Covenants 37:1 and Doctrine and Covenants 36:8, both given in the winter of 1830/31).  Joseph Smith later explained that the purpose of gathering was to erect temples.  Early the next year, another revelation was received (Doctrine and Covenants 57:3), which commanded that a temple be built in Independence, Jackson County, Missouri.  Due to persecution, this temple was never completed, but Mormons today still look forward to the time that it will be built.  For some time, the Mormons attempted to settle in Jackson County and to establish their Zion there, and build its glorious temple, but that was not to be.  Instead, the focus shifted to Ohio where, by 1835, nearly 2,000 Mormons were already established. There, they enjoyed some peace.

Each Mormon temple is built to exact standards, much as Solomon built his temple with the best materials he could obtain as a way to honor the Lord and create a place that reflects God’s glory.  Mormon temples symbolize Mormon belief about the links between generations and between heaven and earth.  They represent the belief that life continues beyond the grave and that families, through the sacred power of the Holy Priesthood, can be sealed together for time and for all eternity and that they can dwell together with God and Jesus Christ in the highest heaven.  Mormon temples are used to perform vicarious ordinances on behalf of the dead and enable each person to return to the presence of God.  The path is one of succeeding covenants, or promises, which each person who goes through the Mormon temple ceremonies performs. The covenants instruct the person in their relationship to God, their purpose here on earth, and how to prepare themselves for the life to come.  Many Mormons will visit the temple to pray and ponder in the Celestial Room, which is a sacred, holy room set aside for quiet prayer and meditation and designed to typify, in a small way, the glory of God’s Kingdom.

Mormons will continue to build temples wherever congregations are found.  Mormons are also encouraged to prepare themselves and their families to enter the temple and always maintain that worthiness that will permit them to walk among those holy walls.  Because the temple is so sacred, only those who are striving to live God’s commandments can enter it.  Mormon temples are not secret, but Mormons do not discuss the ordinances of the temple in detail, because they are held to be so sacred.  There is not, however, any Mormon belief taught in the temple that is not taught outside the temple; it is the ordinances that are regarded as sacred.  Mormons who have been in the temple and made covenants with God to follow His commandments wear sacred undergarments, which outsiders sometimes refer to as “Mormon underwear,” to remind them of their covenants and to strengthen them spiritually throughout their lives.  The temple garment is similar in symbolism to the Jewish tzitzit, which has been worn by Jews for thousands of years, and which symbolizes a dedication to live the Law of Moses.  The Mormon garment symbolizes a progression of covenants from a basic understanding of sacrifice and obedience to higher principles of chastity and consecration.

Anita Stansfield

Anita Stansfield began writing at the age of sixteen, and her first novel was published sixteen years later. For more than fifteen years she has been the number-one best-selling author of women’s fiction in the LDS market. Her novels range from historical to contemporary and cover a wide gamut of social and emotional issues that explore the human experience through memorable characters and unpredictable plots. She has received many awards, including a special award for pioneering new ground in LDS fiction, the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Whitney Academy for LDS Literature, and also a Lifetime Achievement Award from her publisher, Covenant Communications. She has fifty-six published books. Anita is the mother of five, and has three grandchildren.

The Kirtland Temple included two large meeting halls, an upper and lower one.  The uppermost floor contained offices and smaller meeting rooms used for the Presidency of the Mormon Church and later for the School of the Prophets, which trained some of the first Mormon missionaries.  The large meeting halls were used as chapels and classrooms and could be divided into smaller rooms by large curtains which hung from the ceilings.  The purpose of this temple was not to house ordinances and ceremonies like later Mormon temples, but to provide a place for the education and edification of the Mormons, to try their faith through sacrifice, and to provide a sanctuary where Jesus Christ could appear to His people.

This first Mormon temple was built after much hardship and required some of the greatest sacrifice in Mormon history.  Construction was slowed by persecution, and some members described working with a trowel in one hand and gun for protection in the other hand.  Men sacrificed time to work on the building and to procure materials, while the women sewed curtains and clothing.  Many women later donated their glassware to be mixed with the external plaster to give the building a shimmering glaze.

The Kirtland Temple was dedicated on March 27, 1836.  The 1,000 gathered Mormons, the maximum who could fit inside, sang hymns, listened to sermons on sacrifice and the House of the Lord, and listened as Joseph Smith read the dedicatory prayer he had received by revelation, which is now recorded as Doctrine and Covenants 109.  They also instituted the “Hosanna” shout as a form of praise to the Lord.  Many of those present reported seeing visions of angels and of hearing a mighty rushing of wind and seeing tongues of fire as on the day of Pentecost.  This manifestation came as a result of the early Mormons’ great faith and sacrifice.  The Kirtland Temple provided a place for religious education in the form of the School of the Prophets and for many important revelations.  It was in the temple that the first revelations regarding salvation for the dead, later expanded in Nauvoo, were received. On April 3, 1836, Jesus Christ himself appeared in the temple to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery.  He approved of the sacrifice of his people and accepted the House (Doctrine and Covenants 110:7).  Then Joseph and Oliver saw Moses, Elias, and Elijah, each of whom restored certain Priesthood keys, or authority, over the gathering of Israel, the Gospel of Abraham, and the Sealing power of the Priesthood (see Doctrine and Covenants 110).  These Priesthood keys are necessary to build and operate the later Mormon temples with all their ceremonies and covenants.

Within a couple of years, the Mormons were forced to abandon Kirtland, as persecution grew too severe.  They moved to Missouri in 1838 and to Nauvoo in 1839.  They abandoned their beautiful House of the Lord and all the sacrifice it had required, knowing that greater things lay ahead.

Anita Stansfield

Anita Stansfield began writing at the age of sixteen, and her first novel was published sixteen years later. For more than fifteen years she has been the number-one best-selling author of women’s fiction in the LDS market. Her novels range from historical to contemporary and cover a wide gamut of social and emotional issues that explore the human experience through memorable characters and unpredictable plots. She has received many awards, including a special award for pioneering new ground in LDS fiction, the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Whitney Academy for LDS Literature, and also a Lifetime Achievement Award from her publisher, Covenant Communications. She has fifty-six published books. Anita is the mother of five, and has three grandchildren.

Since its earliest days, one of the basic beliefs of Mormonism has been in the necessity of missionary work, and the Church has sent missionaries to the entire world, teaching people in their own languages and working to build people up by teaching them the gospel of Jesus Christ, urging them to work hard in their communities and build up the Kingdom of God.  By the early 1900s, Mormons could no longer feasibly gather together in Utah, but many came on pilgrimages to visit the temples.  Growth of the Mormon Church in Latin America meant that by 1945, the Mormon temple ceremonies were being performed in Spanish, beginning first at the Mesa Temple.

Poverty and the great wars of 1918-1945 slowed construction of other Mormon temples.  In 1945, the Mormons completed the Idaho Falls Temple.  During the 1920s and 1930s, Mormon missionaries had great success in Europe, especially in German-speaking countries, where tens of thousands joined the Mormon Church.  By the end of World War II, the impoverished Mormons of Europe had shown great faith, and the Mormon Church worked to reward them with a temple in their midst.  Mormon missionary success continued as well in the Pacific Islands and especially among the Maori people of New Zealand.  In 1955, President David O. McKay dedicated the Bern Switzerland Temple.  On April 20, 1958, he dedicated the Hamilton New Zealand Temple.  The Bern Temple presented special problems, as it required that the Mormon temple ceremonies be conducted in multiple languages.  Traditionally, the ceremonies had been performed with live persons leading it, but this became more difficult as many languages, including French, German, and Italian, would be required.  To help with this, the Mormon Church began using films to present the instructional portions of the temple ceremonies, with translation headphones for those who could not understand the language being spoken.  This allowed the Bern Temple to serve all the peoples of Europe using fewer staff members.  At this same time, a temple was built in Los Angeles, California and London, England.  The London temple was particularly important to Mormons, because so many converts had joined in England that at one point in the 1850s, there were more Mormons in Britain than in America.

Anita Stansfield

Anita Stansfield began writing at the age of sixteen, and her first novel was published sixteen years later. For more than fifteen years she has been the number-one best-selling author of women’s fiction in the LDS market. Her novels range from historical to contemporary and cover a wide gamut of social and emotional issues that explore the human experience through memorable characters and unpredictable plots. She has received many awards, including a special award for pioneering new ground in LDS fiction, the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Whitney Academy for LDS Literature, and also a Lifetime Achievement Award from her publisher, Covenant Communications. She has fifty-six published books. Anita is the mother of five, and has three grandchildren.

On April 6, 1841, the Mormon temple was begun at the same time as Joseph Smith began preaching the doctrine of baptism for the dead, which he had received by revelation. He taught that those who had died without an opportunity to hear the true gospel of Jesus Christ would be taught it in the Spirit World and have the chance to accept it. Those who were still living upon the earth could be baptized on their behalf.  This doctrine, unique to Mormonism, even though the Bible refers to it (see 1 Corinthians 15:29), also taught that such ordinances were to be done in temples along with other sacred temple ceremonies.  Just as with Solomon’s Temple, the Lord revealed to Joseph Smith the plan and layout of the temple, which included a baptistery, a large meeting hall, offices for some Mormon Church leaders, and special ordinance rooms.  In the spring of 1842, Joseph Smith introduced other Mormon temple ordinances, known as the Endowment, to the Twelve Apostles.  He also taught about Celestial or Eternal Marriage, which was to be performed in temples and through which a husband and wife could be “sealed” together for time and eternity along with their children, and thus could receive all the blessings of Abraham.  No one else besides the Twelve Apostles and their wives received these ordinances until after the temple was finished.  Joseph Smith, knowing that he probably would die before the temple was completed, introduced them in the upper room of his general store called the Red Brick Store.

On June 27, 1844, with the temple only partially completed, Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum were murdered in Carthage Jail. Despite this tragedy, it gave the Mormons a period of calm, since their enemies believed that Mormonism was a cult centered on Joseph Smith and would collapse without him. However, the Mormons thrived and even grew in numbers, and, in early 1846, they completed their temple even while under constant threats from mobs and militias. Even after the Mormons had decided to leave for the Rocky Mountains, they remained behind just long enough to finish their temple. By December 1845, the temple was complete enough to begin performing Endowment work and marriage sealings for the Mormons of Nauvoo. The Nauvoo temple was privately dedicated for this work and later rededicated publicly in May 1846, even as the Mormons were packing their wagons to leave. In all, around 5,500 Mormons went through the Nauvoo temple before abandoning it, as they had done in Kirtland. As the last Mormons were being driven from their homes by a mob in the Battle of Nauvoo in 1848, the temple was ransacked by the mob. In 1848, an arsonist set the building on fire and some of the walls collapsed. Finally, in 1850, a tornado destroyed the last remaining wall.

Anita Stansfield

Anita Stansfield began writing at the age of sixteen, and her first novel was published sixteen years later. For more than fifteen years she has been the number-one best-selling author of women’s fiction in the LDS market. Her novels range from historical to contemporary and cover a wide gamut of social and emotional issues that explore the human experience through memorable characters and unpredictable plots. She has received many awards, including a special award for pioneering new ground in LDS fiction, the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Whitney Academy for LDS Literature, and also a Lifetime Achievement Award from her publisher, Covenant Communications. She has fifty-six published books. Anita is the mother of five, and has three grandchildren.