Provo Utah Temple facts for kids
| Provo Utah Temple | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Number | 15 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Dedicated | Quick facts for kids February 9, 1972 byJoseph Fielding Smith |
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| Site | 17 acres (6.9 hectares) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Floor area | 128,325 sq ft (11,922 m2) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 175 ft (53 m) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Ogden Utah Temple | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Followed by | Washington D.C. Temple | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Official website: https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/temples/details/provo-utah-temple • News & images | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The Provo Utah Temple is a special building for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It was the 17th temple built by the Church and the 15th one still being used. This temple is in Provo, Utah. It has a modern look with one tall spire, much like the original design of the Ogden Utah Temple.
Contents
History of the Provo Temple
For many years, a hill in Provo was called "Temple Hill." But instead of a temple, the Maeser Building was built there in 1911 for Brigham Young University (BYU). Later, a large piece of land, about 17-acre (69,000 m2), was chosen for the Provo Temple. This land is at the base of Rock Canyon.
Building the Temple
The Church announced they would build a temple in Provo on August 14, 1967. Construction officially began on September 15, 1969, with a special groundbreaking ceremony. The temple was finished and dedicated on February 9, 1972. Joseph Fielding Smith, who was the Church president at the time, dedicated it. The dedication services were shown live in large auditoriums at BYU, including the huge Marriott Center.
Thirty-one years after it was built, a statue of the Angel Moroni was added to the top of the spire. The spire itself was also changed from gold to white.
Temple Design and Features
Emil B. Fetzer was the architect for both the Provo and Ogden temples. He wanted to create a building that was useful, efficient, and not too expensive. The temple's design was inspired by a scripture in the Bible (Exodus 13:21). This scripture talks about the Lord guiding people with a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night.
The sides of the temple have a design called a gothic arch. This shape is often used in religious buildings. The temple has 6 rooms for special ceremonies and 12 rooms for sealing families together. All these rooms are connected by a round hallway. The total size of the temple is 128,325 square feet (11,921.8 m2).
A Busy Temple
The Provo Utah Temple is one of the busiest temples in the Church. This is partly because it is located across the street from a Missionary Training Center. It is also very close to the BYU campus, where many students attend.
In 2016, another temple, the Provo City Center Temple, was dedicated in Provo. This made Provo the second city in the world to have two active temples. The two temples are about 2.4 miles apart.
Recent Times
In 2020, like all other temples of the Church, the Provo Utah Temple closed for a while. This happened because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Temple Presidents
Many leaders have served as temple presidents for the Provo Utah Temple. Some of them include:
- A. Theodore Tuttle (1980–1982)
- J. Elliot Cameron (1989–1992)
- Dean L. Larsen (1998–2001)
- Merrill J. Bateman (2007–2010)
- Robert H. Daines III (2010–2013)
- Alan Ashton (2013–2016)
As of November 2016, Donald H. Livingstone was the temple president.
See also
In Spanish: Templo de Provo (Utah) para niños
