Nauvoo Illinois Temple Wiki

Description

The Nauvoo Illinois Temple is a reconstruction of the original Nauvoo Temple built in the 1840s and destroyed by fire in 1848.

For members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the Nauvoo Illinois Temple represents the dedication of the faith’s earliest adherents. In 1846, these 19th-century members of the Church completed the original Nauvoo Temple, which stood on the same land as the current temple, at great personal sacrifice.

“Today, facing west, on the high bluff overlooking the city of Nauvoo, thence across the Mississippi, and over the plains of Iowa, there stands Joseph’s temple, a magnificent house of God. Here in the Salt Lake Valley, facing east to that beautiful temple in Nauvoo, stands Brigham’s temple, the Salt Lake Temple. They look toward one another as bookends between which there are volumes that speak of the suffering, the sorrow, the sacrifice, even the deaths of thousands who made the long journey from the Mississippi River to the valley of the Great Salt Lake.” —Gordon B. Hinckley

History

Original Temple

This section is a summary. For Information on the Original Nauvoo Temple, see Nauvoo Temple 1846.

Members of the Church readily began constructing the original Nauvoo Temple less than two years after settling on the banks of the Mississippi River. They renamed the town there — Commerce, Illinois — “Nauvoo,” which Joseph Smith, the Church’s founder and prophet, said meant “a beautiful location, a place of rest.”^[1]See Matthew S. McBride, A House for the Most High: The Story of the Original Nauvoo Temple (2007), xix–xx.

The imperative to build temples came through various early revelations to Joseph Smith. Latter-day Saints saw themselves as builders of a modern-day Zion (a sanctified community of believers) in fulfillment of biblical prophecy. In general, temples were to serve as a centerpiece of the Zion community and had important religious functions in community life.^[2]See Matthew S. McBride, A House for the Most High: The Story of the Original Nauvoo Temple (2007), xix–xx.

William Weeks, an architect who joined the Church in the South, drafted plans for the temple with some direction from Joseph Smith. Weeks incorporated contemporary ideas and elements from New England architectural traditions into his designs. One spectator commented in a detailed description of the edifice, “This building, situated at Nauvoo, Hancock County, Ill., is perhaps one of the most singularly constructed edifices in the United States.”^[3]Hiram Gano Ferris, “A Description of the Mormon Temple,” Carthage Republican, Mar. 19, 1890, 2, quoted in McBride, A House for the Most High, 385.

Church members approved construction in October 1840, and a stone quarry opened shortly thereafter. The cornerstones were laid on April 6, 1841, at an annual gathering of Church members. Numerous laborers volunteered one in ten days to build the temple, and skilled laborers were also employed. In addition to using stone to build the temple, builders used pine lumber, which was transported from Wisconsin down the Mississippi River. The Latter-day Saints sacrificed a great deal of their personal resources to construct the building.

The spire, which stood 158 feet high, could be seen from 20 miles away. Thirty pilasters decorated the temple, nine on the north and south sides and six on the east and west ends. Unique bas-relief carvings in these pilasters depicted a sun at the top and a large crescent moon at the bottom.

The original temple was dedicated for use in stages. On November 8, 1841, four and a half years before the temple was complete, a temporary baptismal font was dedicated in the baptistry. Located in the temple basement, the font was made out of pine and rested on the backs of twelve pine oxen, “copied after the most beautiful five-year-old steer that could be found in the country.”^[4]History of the Church, 4:446, quoted in McBride, A House for the Most High, 56. Later, a limestone font and twelve stone oxen were installed there. The attic was also dedicated separately in November 1845, and Latter-day Saints began performing the endowment ceremony. The first group of Latter-day Saints left Nauvoo in February 1846, leaving their beloved temple behind as they journeyed westward. A few, however, stayed behind to complete the temple.

On April 30, 1846, the entire structure was dedicated in a private ceremony. Dedicatory services for the public took place on three consecutive days beginning on May 1 of the same year. At the first public dedicatory service, a choir sang hymns while being accompanied by instrumentalists. Elder Orson Hyde, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, offered the dedicatory prayer. “Grant that Thy Spirit shall dwell here and may all feel a sacred influence on their hearts that His Hand has helped this work,” he prayed. “Accept our offering this morning.”^[5]Wilford Woodruff, Journal, 3:42, quoted in McBride, A House for the Most High, 332.

The temple was destroyed by fire in 1848, and the remaining structure was struck by a tornado in 1850. Stones were taken from this site to be used in building other structures in Nauvoo and elsewhere. For years, the site stood undeveloped. The temple was historically significant to members of the Church, not just for its unique design and the incredible efforts that went into its construction, but for being the first structure where members of the Church performed baptisms for their deceased ancestors. There they also began performing other ceremonies, including marriage, that are sacred to members of the faith and that continue to be performed in temples today.

New Temple

The origins of the current temple go back to 1937. In that year, Wilford C. Wood purchased some of the land on behalf of the LDS Church and purchased another piece of land that he later sold to the church. He also organized a group of church members from the Chicago Illinois Stake, co-led by Ariel S. Williams, to clear and beautify the recently purchased land. At the time, the Chicago Stake was one of only two east of the Mississippi River.^[6]Don F. Colvin. Nauvoo Temple: A Story of Faith. BYU Religious Studies Center, Chapter 13

Wood purchased land in 1951 that included a house which was made a visitors center for the temple site. In the late-1950s, and then in 1962, agents for the LDS Church completed the purchase of the temple lot.^[7]Don F. Colvin. Nauvoo Temple: A Story of Faith. BYU Religious Studies Center, Chapter 13

Announcement

At the closing session of general conference on April 4, 1999, President Gordon B. Hinckley made an announcement that sent shock waves through the worldwide audience: “I feel impressed to announce that among all of the temples we are constructing, we plan to rebuild the Nauvoo Temple. A member of the Church and his family have provided a very substantial contribution to make this possible. We are grateful to him. It will be a while before it happens, but the architects have begun their work.” He added: “The new building will stand as a memorial to those who built the first such structure there on the banks of the Mississippi.”^[8]”Thanks to the Lord for His Blessings,” Ensign May 1999, p. 89.

A little more than 153 years ago, Latter-day Saints had to abandon the temple they had recently dedicated. Soon, President Hinckley said, “there will grace this site a magnificent structure, a re-creation of that which existed here and served our people so briefly during that great epic [Nauvoo] period of the history of the Church.” Looking back on that era of Church history, not long after the Prophet was martyred, President Hinckley said, “I can just see the people in 1846, the wagons that bitter, bitter cold day going down Parleys Street to the water’s edge, getting on a barge, moving across the [Mississippi River] up on to the higher ground and looking back on this sacred structure which they had labored so hard to build and realized that never in this life would they see it again. It is difficult to imagine their emotions.”

President Hinckley called the time of the groundbreaking a “happy day” in Nauvoo “where it all really began.” He noted that although the Kirtland Temple was the first built in this dispensation, “there was no ordinance work in that temple,” as there was during a brief period in the Nauvoo Temple.

Referring to the Nauvoo Temple as beautiful and large, he shared an experience from an earlier visit when Elder Hugh W. Pinnock of the Seventy and North America Central Area president used weather balloons on the temple lot to outline the area and height of the sacred building. “I was amazed at the height of it,” President Hinckley said. “I knew the dimensions in feet, but I’d never envisioned that height.” The temple will be built again to that height and with the same exterior look as the original, he said, funded largely by contributions “from those who love the Lord and love this work.” Noting some changes in construction from the original, he said it will be built of reinforced concrete faced with the same kind of stone as the original. “It will be stronger and will last a very long time,” he said. “I hope to live long enough to participate in the dedication of this wonderful building which means so very much in the history of this Church, in the history of my family, in the history of your families, so very, very many of you who are gathered here today.”

The idea of rebuilding the temple is not a new one. President Hinckley said that his father, while president of the mission that included Nauvoo in 1939, suggested to the First Presidency that the Nauvoo Temple be rebuilt. But the idea wasn’t accepted at that time when the country was just coming out of the Depression and the Church didn’t have a lot of money. His father was disappointed at that time, President Hinckley said, adding, “But I count it something of a strange and wonderful coincidence that I’ve had a part in the determination of rebuilding this temple.”

President Hinckley continued his remarks: “This will be the House of the Lord. It will be dedicated as His Holy House. It will be reserved and set aside for the accomplishment of His divine and eternal purposes. It will occupy a special place in the belief and testimony and the conviction of this people. It will have great historic significance. It will be a thing of beauty and, I hope, a joy forever.”^[9]Greg Hill, “Rebuilding of magnificent temple,” Church News 30 Oct. 1999: 6.

Following this announcement, extensive research was conducted on the original Nauvoo Temple including the examination of photographs, written descriptions, and drawings—some of which were donated by the descendants of William Weeks who was the architect of the original temple. Keith Stepan, managing director of the Temple Construction Department said: “Piecing everything together, we think the outside of the new temple is as close as humanly possible to the original.” One obvious difference would be the decision to use a standing angel atop the tower instead of a horizontal angel as was used on the original.^[10]Don L. Searle, “Nauvoo: A Temple Reborn,” Ensign July 2002.

Construction materials and furniture were derived from the original design as well.

Groundbreaking

President Gordon B. Hinckley, who presided at the groundbreaking ceremony for the Nauvoo Illinois Temple, had presided at the second day of dedicatory sessions for the Detroit Michigan Temple earlier that day.

Cornerstone Ceremony

A cornerstone laying ceremony was held on November 5, 2000. On that occasion President Hinckley stated, I would hope that every time you pass that cornerstone [of the new temple] you will think of Him whom it represents, Him whom it symbolizes, the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the foundation of this work. And upon that foundation rests the structure of apostles and prophets, the priesthood of God, with all of the authority inherent therein. And the building of the temple on top of that, all fitly framed together^[11]“President Hinckley and the Nauvoo Temple,” Ensign, July 2002, 24.

So many people were interested in the progress of the building of the temple that a “temple cam” was set up. It took pictures every minute that were published on the Church’s internet site.

Open House

After the temple was completed, a public open house ran from 6 May to 22 June 2002. During its six-week public open house, the Nauvoo Illinois Temple was thronged by 331,849 visitors eager to tour the interior of the extraordinary edifice.

During the open house, hundreds of volunteers helped lead people through the temple.

Dedication

June 27, 2002, was set as the date for the dedication of the Nauvoo Temple. TNearly 20,000 Latter-day Saints attended the 13 sessions of the dedication.

Thousands more attended the dedication of the Nauvoo Illinois Temple remotely, as it was delivered over the Church’s encrypted satellite system to Church buildings in 72 countries around the world.

The date itself was special as well, the anniversary of the martyrdom of Joseph and Hyrum. Said President Hinckley: On the recent 27th of June, in the afternoon at about the same time Joseph and Hyrum were shot in Carthage 158 years earlier, we held the dedication of the magnificent new structure. It is a place of great beauty. … It is a fitting and appropriate memorial to the great Prophet of this dispensation, Joseph the Seer. How grateful I am, how profoundly grateful for what has happened. Today, facing west, on the high bluff overlooking the city of Nauvoo, thence across the Mississippi, and over the plains of Iowa, there stands Joseph’s temple, a magnificent house of God.^[12]“O That I Were an Angel, and Could Have the Wish of Mine Heart,” Ensign, Nov. 2002, 4

During the prayer, he said, “The entire structure has become a treasured work of art. We pray that Thou wilt accept of this our offering.” He continued, “Beloved Father, this is Thy house, the gift of Thy thankful Saints. We pray that Thou wilt visit it. Hallow it with Thy presence and that of Thy Beloved Son. Let Thy Holy Spirit dwell here at all times.”^[13]Dedicatory prayer, Nauvoo Illinois Temple, in Church News, June 29, 2002, http://www.ldschurchnewsarchive.com/articles/42058/Nauvoo-Illinois-This-magnificent-structure.html.

Dedication Order

The Nauvoo Illinois Temple is the second of the currently operating temples built in Illinois, following the Chicago Illinois Temple (1985).

Presidents and Matrons

Temple President	Temple Matron	Years Served
Chris Vernon Church	Jane Hafen Church	2022–
Eric Gordon Andersen	Catherine Hardy Andersen	2019–2022
Richard Alan Irion	Gloria Nelson Irion	2016–2019
James Andrew McArthur	Denise Annette Stone McArthur	2013–2016
Spencer Joel Condie	Dorothea Speth Condie	2010–2013
Wayne Skeen Peterson	Joan Alice Jensen Peterson	2007–2010
David Bitner Wirthlin	Anne Goalen Wirthlin	2004–2007
Richard William Winder	Barbara Woodhead Winder	2002–2004

Details

Exterior

The building measures 130 feet (40 m) long, 90 feet (27 m) wide, and 162 feet (49 m) tall to the top of the statue of angel Moroni, which sits atop the temple spire, in a pattern similar to the Salt Lake Temple.

Facade

The original temple’s walls were made of solid limestone — stones were placed one on top of another and cemented together. The new temple was built of reinforced concrete faced with limestone, which was chosen to match the texture and color of the original. Exterior carving was done by hand. In order to match the original temple’s sunstones and moonstones, carvers patterned sunstones and moonstones on glass fiber molds of the original stones.

The limestone used for the original temple was quarried from a site just west of the temple. Much of that quarry, however, was submerged by rising water behind the Keokuk Dam in 1912. Therefore, Russellville, Alabama, subsidiary of Minnesota’s Vetter Stone Company, was chosen by the Church to provide stone for the temple. Church officials say the quarry was selected because it will provide stone that is a close match to the limestone originally used.^[14]R. Scott Lloyd, “Crafting, shaping prepared him for sublime task,” Church News 2 Feb. 2001, 29 Mar. 2019 <https://www.thechurchnews.com/archive/2001-02-03/crafting-shaping-prepared-him-for-sublime-task-19149>.

Windows

The Allyn Historic Sash Company in Nauvoo had charge over the different-sized arched windows and round windows near the temple’s roof line that include framework for six-pointed stars. Red, white, and blue glass was used to replicate the originals. All but 11 of the total 138 installed windows were constructed by the Allyn House.^[15]Don L. Searle, “Nauvoo: A Temple Reborn,” Ensign July 2002.

The windows contain nearly 4,200 pieces of double-paned glass. Clear and colored glass for the windows was imported from France and Germany; glass was blown using a process that is eight centuries old. Circular windows just below the roof feature red, blue and white five-pointed stars.

It is the only temple owned by the LDS Church today that has a bell tower, although the Kirtland Temple also has a bell tower.

Interior

It has an area of 54,000 square feet (5,000 m²).

The largest temple baptismal font in the Church is located in the Nauvoo Illinois Temple.

The Nauvoo Illinois Temple features beautiful hand-painted murals on the walls of its progressive-style ordinance rooms: Creation Room, Garden Room, World Room, Terrestrial Room (no murals), and Celestial Room (no murals).

The Nauvoo Illinois Temple is one of only six temples where patrons progress through four ordinance rooms before passing into the Celestial Room. (The other five temples are the Laie Hawaii Temple, the Cardston Alberta Temple, the Mesa Arizona Temple, the Idaho Falls Idaho Temple, and the Los Angeles California Temple.)

The floors are hardwood with rugs, runners, and furnishings typical of the time. The first floor Assembly Room, featuring ten chandeliers, was duplicated on a smaller scale allowing enough area for planned administrative offices. The second floor has dressing rooms, and the upper floors house the six sealing rooms and instruction rooms, which were arranged in progressive style to include a Creation Room, Garden Room, World Room, Terrestrial Room, and Celestial Room. The use of ordinance room murals was reintroduced for the first time since the Los Angeles California Temple (1956).

The original baptismal font, supported by 12 carved limestone oxen, was also duplicated as nearly as possible with the addition of a fiberglass lining to prevent deterioration. The floor of the baptistry, the largest of any temple in the Church, was finished in red brick tile (as in the original temple). A dome and chandelier are featured in the ceiling and art glass window on the east end. Intricate moldings are attached along the ceiling.

Basement	Baptistry and laundry facilities
First Floor	Foyer, recommend desk, and two-story assembly room
Second Floor	Patron dressing rooms and administrative offices
Third Floor	Waiting chapel, four instruction rooms, celestial room, and four sealing rooms
Fourth Floor	Ordinance worker dressing rooms and sealing waiting rooms
Fifth Floor	Two sealing rooms

Location

The Nauvoo Illinois Temple stands on a high bluff overlooking a bend in the Mississippi River. The majestic building is a faithful reproduction of the original Nauvoo Temple built by settlers of the Church in the 1840s and destroyed by arson fire in 1848 and tornado-force winds in 1850. Featured on the grounds west of the temple is a handsome statue depicting Church founder Joseph Smith and brother Hyrum Smith on horseback; both were martyred in Carthage Jail during construction of the original temple. Nauvoo is rich in Church history and the destination of thousands of tourists each year. The temple operates an accelerated summer schedule to accommodate demand. Summer is also the season of the popular Nauvoo Pageant: A Tribute to Joseph Smith.

Unlike many temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the Nauvoo Illinois Temple and its statue of the angel Moroni face west, overlooking the Mississippi River.

The Temple Arrival Center, located north of the temple, is available for nonpatron family and friends. There are also facilities for patrons to freshen up and change clothes prior to entering the temple. Secure lockers are provided. There is a mother’s room and an area designed for children to enjoy Church-approved films. An adult chaperone, 18 years of age or older, should care for children who are not participating in ordinances or who are waiting for a scheduled sealing.