St. Louis Missouri Temple Wiki

Description

The St. Louis Missouri Temple is a temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Town and Country Missouri. It was the first temple built in Missouri. Although the Church planned temples in Independence and Far West, Missouri, during the 1830s, the Mormons left the state because of persecution before those temples were ever constructed.

History

In the early days of the Mormon Church, when the Church was centered in Missouri, members experienced great spiritual manifestations as well as intense persecution. The members had planned to build temples in Far West and Independence, Missouri but the distrust and persecution from those around them made it impossible to do so. After an extermination order was given from Governor Boggs and the Prophet Joseph Smith and other leaders were arrested, the members of the Mormon Church were forced from their Missouri homes at gunpoint in the middle of winter.

The completion of the St. Louis Missouri Temple, as well as the warm welcome extended by Missouri’s citizens and government, signified great change and healing from the turbulence of the Church’s early history in Missouri. St. Louis, though, in contrast to other parts of the state, was always more welcoming to the Church; in the 1830s and 1840s, it was a place of refuge and tolerance for many Latter-day Saints. Newspapers such as the St. Louis Atlas expressed concern and sympathy for the Mormons fleeing persecution, and the city and its people responded, providing respite for the Latter-day Saints. St. Louis was also an important place for European converts to buy supplies so they could immigrate west and join other Church members in Utah. It seems only fitting that Missouri’s first temple would be built in this place of refuge.

Announcement

The announcement came in December 1990 that a temple was to be built in Missouri.

The site for the St. Louis Missouri Temple was approved by each member of the First Presidency. Each was individually escorted to six possible sites, and each in turn selected the same site to build the temple.

Groundbreaking

At the groundbreaking ceremony on October 30, 1993, near-freezing temperatures and icy winds did not deter a crowd of nearly 5,000 people. Church President Gordon B. Hinckley commented that the cold was a good reminder of the great trials and sacrifices of Mormon pioneers. He said, “I am satisfied that the Prophet Joseph smiles on us today. And I am satisfied that those who were with him on that long trek across Missouri in the winter of 1838 smile upon us as they see what we begin here today.”.^[1]Hart, John L. (November 6, 1993), “Ground is broken on cold day for temple in St. Louis, Mo.”, Church News

“This may sound strange,” said President Hinckley, “but I am rather glad it is cold. I think it brings us to a greater appreciation for the Saints who left the state of Missouri in 1838 under the orders of the then governor; a tragic episode in the history of our people, and I think that it must be so for Missouri.”

Also at the groundbreaking ceremony, President Thomas S. Monson shared his ancestral connection to St. Louis and his tender feelings for those early members of the Church. His great-grandmother lost both her parents and two brothers within a two-week period to cholera in 1849. She and her remaining family traveled west with the rest of the Latter-day Saints. President Monson said, “I feel I am standing on sacred ground in an area where these dear forebears of mine completed their trek to find God and to establish His kingdom here upon the earth.”^[2]Hart, John L. (November 6, 1993), “Ground is broken on cold day for temple in St. Louis, Mo.”, Church News

Open House

Three and a half years after the groundbreaking ceremony, on April 23, 1997, VIP tours of the completed temple began. Government dignitaries, business executives, clergy and news reporters attended, showing an overwhelmingly positive response to the new temple. Among the guests was Senator Christopher Bond, who, as Missouri’s governor in 1976, had officially repealed the “extermination order” against the Mormons that was issued by the governor of Missouri in 1838.

Extensive news coverage was given to the St. Louis Missouri Temple open house including a front-page story in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and a full-page article in USA Today with graphics representing the interior floor plan.

Between April 24 and May 24, 1997, nearly 260,000 people attended the public open house, and an estimated four in five visitors were of faiths other than Latter-day Saint. 11,518 toured the temple on the first day alone.

The visitors responded with warmth and genuine interest. One of the many positive written responses to the temple president came from a man who toured the temple with his wife: “This is to thank you for the unforgettable privilege of visiting your magnificent temple and being given a better understanding of your religious calling,” he said. “It was an experience that Carol and I will remember and treasure for a long time. I really believe the experience deepened our faith and brought us new appreciation of the Mormon commitment.”

Demand for the free tickets was so high that tours were conducted on two of the four Sundays, though it was originally planned that no tours would be held on Sundays.^[3]“St. Louis Temple doors open to public in April”, Church News, January 11, 1997 ^[4]Lloyd, R. Scott (May 3, 1997), “Missourians welcome new temple”, Church News ^[5]Lloyd, R. Scott (May 31, 1997), “260,000 visit temple during open house”, Church News

Dedication

Church President Gordon B. Hinckley dedicated the St. Louis Missouri Temple on 1 – 2 June1997, then President James E. Faust over the next day and a half, and President Thomas S. Monson over the final day and a half. 19 dedicatory sessions were held over five days. In the dedicatory prayer, President Hinckley referred to trials past and to a bright future. “We are grateful that the extermination order has been revoked and the persecution is long since gone. Today Thy Church basks in the sunlight of good will. Hundreds of thousands of visitors have come to view this Thy holy house. They have left with respect and appreciation. … We pray that all who pass this way may look upon it with reverence and respect, and feel constrained in their hearts to learn more concerning Thy work.”

He further stated, “We are reminded that this temple stands on the soil of the state of Missouri where the Prophet [Joseph Smith] and his associates suffered so much, and were finally banished by a cruel and illegal order of extermination. Terrible were their losses, terrible their suffering. We are grateful that the extermination order has been revoked and the persecution is long since gone. Today Thy Church basks in the sunlight of good will.” ^[6]“St. Louis Missouri Temple: ‘May it be preserved by Thy power'”, Church News, June 7, 1997^[7]Lloyd, R. Scott (June 7, 1997), “Church dedicates its 50th temple”, Church News

Dedicatory Prayer

Dedication Order

The St. Louis Missouri Temple was the first temple built in Missouri, though temple sites were dedicated in the 1830s in Independence and Far West.

Presidents

Details

Location

The beautiful The St. Louis Missouri Temple now stands as a prominent landmark on the North Outer Forty—just west of its junction with I-270— in the suburb of Town and Country. 4-acre grounds of expansive lawn are adorned with mature trees, manicured shrubs and a water feature at the front. Trees line the entrance road to the temple, welcoming all who desire to visit the grounds and enjoy the peace and tranquility of its gardens.

Exterior

Cladding

The exterior of the temple is composed of Bethel White granite panels placed between cast stone pillars, cornices and footings.

Windows

Blue art-glass windows enhance the temple’s beauty and reflect the wide-open Missouri sky. One striking piece is a round window at the front, placed beneath the engraved words “Holiness to the Lord—the House of the Lord.” The glass depicts a large Star of David surrounded by six phases of the moon.

Symbolism

Inscriptions

Cornerstone

Spires and Moroni

Spire

The St. Louis Missouri Temple has a single white spire placed on the east end of the structure that reaches 150 feet in height.

Moroni

The spire is topped with a gold-leafed statue of the angel Moroni, a prophet from the Book of Mormon.

Interior

The large edifice’s floor area is just over 60,000 square feet, has four ordinance rooms, and four sealing rooms.

Individuals and Contractors

Sources and Links

External links

Additional Articles

Sources/Citation