The St. George Utah Temple

of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints

The St. George Temple was the first temple completed in Utah and is the oldest temple still in use today. It was also the only Utah temple completed while Brigham Young was alive. It is built of locally quarried red sandstone plastered white. The ground on which the temple is built was considered to swampy to support the structure so the pioneer saints built a system of drains and packed the foundation with black volcanic rock (basalt?) and lead which they pounded into the ground with an old cannon that they used as a piledriver.

After seeing the completed structure for the first time, Brigham Young complained that the tower was wrong. The temple builders said that it was too late to change and the dedication proceeded as planed. Shortly after Brigham Young died, a lightning strike caused a fire that burned just as much of the tower as President Young had complained about. The builders then followed President Young's instructions and rebuilt the tower as he wanted it, claiming that, even in death, Brigham Young got his way.

The temple was originally built like the Kirtland and Nauvoo Temples, with two large assembly halls. The lower Assembly Hall was partitioned with curtains to provide the ordinance rooms for the Endowment Ceremony. In 1938 the lower Assembly Hall was rebuilt with permanant walls dividing it into the 4 Ordinance rooms. Now the 4 Ordinance rooms have been changed into three rooms and the endowment is presented on video.

The temple was announced in January 1871.
Ground was broken and construction begun on 9 November 1871.
The cornerstone was laid in April 1874.
The temple was dedicated on 6-8 April 1877.
The temple was remodeled and rededicated on 11-12 November 1975.
There are 8 Sealing rooms and 3 Ordinance rooms in the temple.
Before remodeling the temple had 56,062 square feet, after remodeling it has 110,100 square feet.
The tower is 175 feet tall.
The St. George Temple serves stakes in southwestern Utah, a small part of Nevada, and a small part of Arizona.

Pictures of the Interior:

A hallway which runs the length of the temple.
Source: Ensign Magazine.


One of the Staircases in the temple.
Source: Church News.


The Brides Room.
Source: Church News.


The Baptistry.
Source: Ensign Magazine.


One of the eight Sealing Rooms.
Source: Church News.
The Garden Room.
Source: Ensign Magazine.

The World Room.
Source: Ensign Magazine.


The Terrestrial Room.
Source: Ensign Magazine.


The Celestial Room.
Source: Ensign Magazine.


The Assembly Hall.
Source: Ensign Magazine.


The Pulpits at one end of the Assembly Hall.
Source: Ensign Magazine.

Rooms not Pictured:
7 Sealing rooms
The Creation Room.

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