|
Monticello Utah Temple
The Monticello Utah Temple is the 53rd operating temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints located in Monticello, Utah. The intent to build the temple was announced on October 4, 1997, by church president Gordon B. Hinckley during general conference.[2] The temple is the first in San Juan County, and the eleventh in Utah at the time of its dedication.[3] The temple has a single spire that has a statue of the angel Moroni. It was the first of the new generation of smaller temples announced by Hinckley, with a more compact design to serve Latter-day Saints in remote areas.[4] A groundbreaking ceremony, signifying the beginning of construction, was held on November 17, 1997, conducted by Ben B. Banks.[3] HistoryThe Monticello Utah Temple was announced by church president Gordon B. Hinckley on October 4, 1997, during general conference.[3] In the same month, Hinckley announced the building of smaller temples throughout the world, with Monticello chosen as the site for the first of these smaller temples.[5] This design aimed to make temple worship more accessible to Latter-day Saints in remote areas.[5] On November 17, 1997, a groundbreaking ceremony was held on a 1.33-acre property located at 365 North 200 West in Monticello, Utah.[6] The ceremony was presided over by Ben B. Banks, then president of the church's Utah South Area, and attended by approximately 2,550 Church members and community leaders.[3] The groundbreaking marked the beginning of a rapid construction process, with the temple completed in just eight months and nine days—making it the fastest-built temple in the church's history to that point.[3] The temple was dedicated on July 26, 1998.[7] Located at the base of the Abajo Mountains, the temple's exterior is finished in a marble called Noah's Crème. Thirteen thousand tiles used on the temple were evaluated carefully to ensure a uniform effect.[8] A public open house was held from July 16 to July 18, 1998, during which approximately 20,348 visitors toured the temple.[9] During the open house, an unusual event occurred when thousands of moths covered the temple grounds and walls one morning. As volunteers began cleaning, starlings (that were nesting in unusually large amounts in the area) began to eat the moths, aiding in the cleanup effort, with most moths gone in 20 minutes.[9] Initially, the temple featured a white angel Moroni statue on its spire. However, on May 25, 1999, this was replaced with a taller, gold-leafed version to enhance its visibility against cloudy skies.[10][11] In April 2002, the temple underwent a significant renovation, resulting in an expansion from 7,000 square feet to 11,225 square feet.[12] The expansion added a second ordinance room, a sealing room, and other facilities to better serve patrons.[12] Following a public open house from November 2 to November 9, 2002, the renovated temple was rededicated on November 17, 2002, by Hinckley.[3] At the time of its dedication, the temple served nearly 13,000 church members[13] in the surrounding Utah areas of Monticello, Blanding, Moab, along with areas in Colorado surrounding Durango and Grand Junction.[13][14] In 2020, like all the church's others, the Monticello Utah Temple was closed for a time in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.[15] See also
References
Additional reading
External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to Monticello Utah Temple.
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Portal di Ensiklopedia Dunia
