THE ORIGINAL TEMPLE
In 1839, under
the direction of the Prophet Joseph Smith, early Church members drained
swampland on the bend of the Mississippi River and created the city of
Nauvoo, Illinois. They began construction of a temple on a 3.3-acre block
in October 1840.
By March 1841,
workers had laid foundation stones. Church leaders conducted an official
cornerstone-laying ceremony on 6 April 1841.
The temple
was constructed of limestone, cut in solid blocks four to six feet in diameter,
from quarries located on the outskirts of the city. Walls were three feet
thick, with some individual stones weighing as much as 4,000 pounds. White
pine for the temple’s interior and roof was harvested from Wisconsin pine
forests and rafted down the Black River and then the Mississippi River
to Nauvoo.
The 50,000-square-foot
temple housed approximately 60 rooms. It measured 128 feet in length by
88 feet in width and its spire rose 165 feet. The temple was adorned by
an angelic weathervane that rested atop the temple.
When Latter-day
Saints learned they would be driven from Nauvoo they redoubled their efforts
to complete the temple. As portions were completed, they were dedicated
and put to use. December 1845 marked the beginning of the temple rites
that were administered in this temple, and in January 1846 the first marriage
in the temple was performed.
Before embarking
on their westward exodus from Nauvoo in February 1846, thousands of Latter-day
Saints made sacred covenants to God in the temple. Several hundred workers
remained in Nauvoo to complete the temple while approximately 12,000 Mormon
pioneers began their historic trek across Iowa and America's vast central
wilderness to the Rocky Mountains.
After its completion,
the Nauvoo Temple was dedicated in a private service on 30 April 1846 and
also in a public ceremony the following day. Although the Nauvoo Temple
was the Church's second modern-day temple, it was the first in which baptisms,
marriages and other ceremonies for deceased individuals were performed
by proxy.
Shortly after
the Latter-day Saints were driven from Nauvoo, the temple was desecrated
by mobs and by October 1848 was almost completely destroyed. In May 1850
a tornado struck, toppling the remaining temple walls and weakening the
rest.
REBUILDING THE TEMPLE
Plans to rebuild
the Nauvoo Illinois Temple were announced on 4 April 1999 by Church President
Gordon B. Hinckley.
Ground was
broken on the original temple block on 24 October 1999. On 5 November 2000,
Church leaders conducted a service to set in place cornerstones and commemorate
the cornerstone ceremony of the original temple.
The exterior
is a reconstruction of the original temple. Drawings from the 1846 temple
allowed contractors to closely replicate the exterior as drawn in the original
plans. While careful attention has been given to period details inside
the temple, the interior is designed to function as a modern, operating
temple. Murals like those in the early Utah temples were added to the Nauvoo
Temple.
This is the
Church’s 113th temple worldwide and 53rd in the continental United States.
It will serve more than 13,000 Latter-day Saints living in western Illinois,
northeastern Missouri and eastern Iowa.
The limestone
exterior is a near duplicate of the original temple exterior. Quarried
in Alabama, it is indistinguishable from the limestone used on the original
temple.
The height
of the temple is 162 feet 5 inches, to the top of the gold statue of the
angel Moroni (pronounced mo-RONE-eye) — an ancient American prophet from
the Book of Mormon, Latter-day Saint scripture.
The perimeter
of the 54,000-square-foot temple measures 90 feet by 130 feet. The interior
consists of five levels and a basement.
The sun, moon
and star stones on the exterior of the temple were replicated by craftsmen
in Canada, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Idaho and Utah. Doors and window frames
replicating the originals were hand-crafted in Nauvoo.
The baptismal
font is a close replica of the original. The 12 oxen upon which the font
rests are carved from limestone, as were the original oxen.
The window
glass, made in France and Germany, is the same type of glass made in the
late 1700s and early 1800s. Like the original windows, each circular window
on the fourth floor contains a large star made of red, white and blue colored
glass.
The clock tower
houses four working clocks, one facing each direction. The bell in the
tower was cast in the Netherlands. It can be programmed to strike with
the timing of the clock.
Architect:
FFKR Architecture of Salt Lake City, Utah.
Contractor:
Legacy Constructors of Salt Lake City, Utah.
Many contractors and local workmen have helped with construction. Approximate construction period: two and a half years.
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