Nauvoo Illinois Temple Facts for Kids

Nauvoo Illinois Temple

Number

113

Dedicated

Quick facts for kids

27 June 2002 by
Gordon B. Hinckley

Site

3.3 acres (1.3 hectares)

Floor area

54,000 sq ft (5,000 m²)

Height

162 ft (49 m)

Preceded by

Asunción Paraguay Temple

Followed by

The Hague Netherlands Temple

Official website: https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/temples/details/nauvoo-illinois-temple • News & images

Additional information
Announced	4 April 1999
Groundbreaking	24 October 1999 by Gordon B. Hinckley
Open House	6 May – 22 June 2002
Current President	James A. McArthur (2013)
Designed by	FFKR Architecture based on design by William Weeks
Location	50 Wells Street Nauvoo, Illinois 62354 United States
Exterior finish	Limestone block
Temple design	Greek revival
Ordinance rooms	4 (Movie, four-stage progressive sessions)
Sealing rooms	6
Clothing rental	Yes
Cafeteria	No
Visitors' center	Yes
Notes	Built on the site of the Nauvoo Temple and dedicated on the 158th anniversary of the death of Joseph Smith, the exterior is an almost exact reconstruction of the original temple. Primary difference is weather-vane has been replaced with a statue of Moroni. However, the interior has 4 progressive ordinance rooms with murals like those in the early Utah temples leading to the celestial room and 6 sealing rooms.

The Nauvoo Illinois Temple is a special building for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is the 113th temple built by the church. This temple is the third one built in Illinois. The other two were the original Nauvoo Temple and the Chicago Illinois Temple.

Building the Nauvoo Temple
Outside Look of the Temple
Inside Look of the Temple
Open House and Dedication Events
Temple Leaders
Original Nauvoo Temple History
Gallery
See also

Building the Nauvoo Temple

This temple is located in Nauvoo, Illinois. The church president, Gordon B. Hinckley, announced its construction on April 4, 1999. Workers started digging the ground on October 24, 1999. The first stones were laid on November 5, 2000.

The temple was built in a style called Greek Revival. It used limestone blocks from Russellville, Alabama. This new temple stands in the exact same spot as the original temple from 1846.

The idea for this temple goes back to 1937. That year, Wilford C. Wood bought some land for the church. He also helped church members from Chicago clear and clean the land. Later, in the 1950s and 1960s, the church bought more land for the temple site.

Outside Look of the Temple

The temple is 130 feet (40 m) long and 90 feet (27 m) wide. It stands 162 feet (49 m) tall to the top of the angel Moroni statue. This statue sits on the temple's spire, much like the one on the Salt Lake Temple. The temple covers an area of 54,000 square feet (5,000 m²).

It is the only temple owned by the church today that has a bell tower. The Kirtland Temple also had one. The first Nauvoo temple had a metal angel on top. It was like a weather vane, holding a book and a trumpet.

Church leaders and builders worked hard to make the new temple look just like the original one from the 1800s. The first temple was damaged by fire in 1848. Then, a tornado hit it on May 27, 1850. Because of this damage, the city decided to tear it down. The new temple uses building materials and designs that match the old one.

Inside Look of the Temple

The inside of the temple is quite different from the original building. In the first temple, a special church ceremony called the endowment ceremony was performed. The attic of the old temple was divided into four areas with cloth walls. One of these areas was decorated with plants to look like the Garden of Eden.

Temples built later, like the Salt Lake City Endowment House, also had four rooms. People would move through these rooms during the ceremony. The first three rooms often had murals. These murals showed the creation of the world, the Garden of Eden, and the world after Adam and Eve left the garden. The fourth room, called the Terrestrial Room, was fancy but had no murals.

The Los Angeles California Temple, built in 1956, was the last temple with this four-room design. Later temples used one or two rooms without murals. However, murals started to be used again in 2001 with the Columbia River Washington Temple. The Nauvoo Illinois Temple is special because it also has the four-room layout with murals in the first three rooms.

Open House and Dedication Events

After the temple was finished, the public could visit it. An open house was held from May 6 to June 22, 2002. More than 250,000 people came to see inside the temple.

The temple was officially dedicated on June 27, 2002. This date was special because it was the anniversary of the death of Joseph Smith. He was the founder of the church.

Since the temple opened in 2002, about 1.5 million visitors come to Nauvoo each year. In 2020, the Nauvoo Illinois Temple, like all other church temples, closed. This was due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Temple Leaders

The temple has leaders called "presidents." Some notable presidents include Richard W. Winder (from 2002 to 2004) and Spencer J. Condie (from 2010 to 2013).

Original Nauvoo Temple History

The Nauvoo Temple was the second temple built by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. The church's first temple was completed in Kirtland, Ohio, United States in 1836. When the main group of church members had to leave Nauvoo, Illinois in the winter of 1846, the church tried to sell the building. They finally sold it in 1848. The building was damaged by fire and a tornado before it was torn down.