Provo Utah Temple
Encyclopedia
The Provo Utah Temple is the 17th constructed and 15th operating temple
of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Located in the city of Provo
, Utah
it was built with a modern single-spire design very similar in design to the Ogden Utah Temple
.
Since Provo’s early years, a hill just northeast of downtown Provo was known as “Temple Hill.” Instead of a temple, however, the Maeser Building was built on the hill in 1911 as a part of the Brigham Young University
campus. A 17 acres (68,796.6 m²) block of property at the base of Rock Canyon was chosen as the site for the Provo Temple.
The LDS temple in Provo was announced on August 14, 1967, and a groundbreaking ceremony was held on September 15, 1969 with construction beginning soon thereafter. Emil B. Fetzer
, the architect for the Ogden and Provo temples, was asked to create a functional design with efficiency, convenience, and reasonable cost as key factors.
The temple was dedicated on February 9, 1972 by Church President Joseph Fielding Smith
. The two dedicatory services were broadcast to several large auditoriums on Brigham Young University campus, including the 22,700-seat Marriott Center
. The temple has 6 ordinance rooms and 12 sealing rooms, and has a total floor area of 128325 square feet (11,921.8 m²). Thirty-one years after the temple's completion, a statue of the Angel Moroni was added to the spire, which itself was changed from gold to white. The temple interior included escalators for many years, but those have since been removed.
The Provo Temple is one of the busiest temples the LDS Church operates. Because of its location, the temple is frequented by students attending the nearby Church-owned Brigham Young University. The temple also receives many missionary
patrons since an LDS Missionary Training Center
is just across the street.
The exterior design of the Provo Temple has its roots in scriptural imagery. The broad base and narrow spire represent the cloudy pillar and the fiery pillar (respectively) that the Lord used to guide the Israelites through the wilderness under Moses .
Temple (LDS Church)
In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , a temple is a building dedicated to be a House of the Lord, and they are considered by Church members to be the most sacred structures on earth. Upon completion, temples are usually open to the public for a short period of time...
of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Located in the city of Provo
Provo, Utah
Provo is the third largest city in the U.S. state of Utah, located about south of Salt Lake City along the Wasatch Front. Provo is the county seat of Utah County and lies between the cities of Orem to the north and Springville to the south...
, Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
it was built with a modern single-spire design very similar in design to the Ogden Utah Temple
Ogden Utah Temple
The Ogden Utah Temple is the sixteenth constructed and fourteenth operating temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints...
.
Since Provo’s early years, a hill just northeast of downtown Provo was known as “Temple Hill.” Instead of a temple, however, the Maeser Building was built on the hill in 1911 as a part of the Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University is a private university located in Provo, Utah. It is owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , and is the United States' largest religious university and third-largest private university.Approximately 98% of the university's 34,000 students...
campus. A 17 acres (68,796.6 m²) block of property at the base of Rock Canyon was chosen as the site for the Provo Temple.
The LDS temple in Provo was announced on August 14, 1967, and a groundbreaking ceremony was held on September 15, 1969 with construction beginning soon thereafter. Emil B. Fetzer
Emil B. Fetzer
Emil B. Fetzer was the head architect The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1965 to his retirement in 1986....
, the architect for the Ogden and Provo temples, was asked to create a functional design with efficiency, convenience, and reasonable cost as key factors.
The temple was dedicated on February 9, 1972 by Church President Joseph Fielding Smith
Joseph Fielding Smith
Joseph Fielding Smith, Jr. was the tenth president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1970 until his death. He was the son of Joseph F. Smith, who was the sixth president of the LDS Church...
. The two dedicatory services were broadcast to several large auditoriums on Brigham Young University campus, including the 22,700-seat Marriott Center
Marriott Center
Marriott Center is a 22,700-seat multi-purpose arena at 1497 N 450 E on the campus of Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, and is home to the BYU Cougars men's and women's basketball teams. It is also used for weekly devotionals and forums...
. The temple has 6 ordinance rooms and 12 sealing rooms, and has a total floor area of 128325 square feet (11,921.8 m²). Thirty-one years after the temple's completion, a statue of the Angel Moroni was added to the spire, which itself was changed from gold to white. The temple interior included escalators for many years, but those have since been removed.
The Provo Temple is one of the busiest temples the LDS Church operates. Because of its location, the temple is frequented by students attending the nearby Church-owned Brigham Young University. The temple also receives many missionary
Mormon missionary
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is one of the most active modern practitioners of missionary work, with over 52,000 full-time missionaries worldwide, as of the end of 2010...
patrons since an LDS Missionary Training Center
Missionary Training Center
Missionary Training Centers are centers devoted to training missionaries for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The flagship MTC is located in Provo, Utah, USA, adjacent to the campus of Brigham Young University....
is just across the street.
The exterior design of the Provo Temple has its roots in scriptural imagery. The broad base and narrow spire represent the cloudy pillar and the fiery pillar (respectively) that the Lord used to guide the Israelites through the wilderness under Moses .
Temple Presidents
- Harold G. Clark, 1972–1976
- Orville C. Gunther, 1976–1980
- A. Theodore Tuttle, 1980–1982
- Leland F. Priday, 1982–1986
- Arthur J. Sperry Jr., 1986–1989
- J. Elliot CameronJ. Elliot CameronJ. Elliot Cameron was an American educator and a leader in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ....
, 1989–1992 - Arthur S. Anderson, 1992–1995
- Robert J. Smith, 1995–1998
- Dean L. LarsenDean L. LarsenDean LeRoy Larsen has been a general authority of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints since 1976 and was the eighteenth Church Historian and Recorder from 1985 to 1997.-Biographical background:...
, 1998–2001 - Jay M. Smith Jr., 2001–2004
- Carl W. Bacon, 2004–2007
- Merrill J. BatemanMerrill J. BatemanMerrill Joseph Bateman is an emeritus general authority of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . From 2003 to 2007, Bateman was a member of the Presidency of the Quorums of the Seventy of the church...
, 2007–2010 - Robert H. Daines, 2010–present
See also
- Temple (Latter Day Saints)
- List of temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
- List of temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by geographic region
- Comparison of temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day SaintsComparison of temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day SaintsBelow is a chronological list of temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints with sortable columns. In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a temple is a building dedicated to be a House of the Lord, and considered by church members to be the most sacred structures on earth...
- Temple architecture (Latter-day Saints)
- The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in UtahThe Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in UtahAs of year-end 2007, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints reported 1,823,613 members in 523 stakes, 1 district, 4,666 Congregations , and 5 missions...