Rexburg Idaho Temple
The Rexburg Idaho Temple is the 125th operating temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The announcement was made by the First Presidency on December 20, 2003.
Rexburg, Idaho, has always been a small college town within the Church Educational System, Ricks College being the center point of the town. The college began in 1888 as Bannock Stake Academy; changed to Fremont Stake Academy in 1898; and then to Ricks College in 1903 (named after Thomas E. Ricks, founder of Rexburg, Idaho).
Ricks College was a well-established two-year college and continued on as such until 2000, when the First Presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ announced that Ricks College would become four year Brigham Young University-Idaho. Consequently the enrollment at the university increased dramatically from 8,949 in 2000 to 12,000 in 2006.
Students who wanted to attend the temple have had to travel 30 miles to the Idaho Falls Idaho Temple, and it became increasingly difficult to make the trip for many of the students attending Ricks College, due to funds and transportation. Needless to say, with the announcement of the Rexburg Idaho Temple, many were ecstatic and looked forward to a temple close by.
Groundbreaking for the Rexburg Idaho Temple took place July 30, 2005. The 57,000 square foot, five-story edifice is the highest building on the BYU-I campus. A single steeple rises 168 feet and is crowned with the gold-leafed statue of the angel Moroni. Adorning the land between the temple and the Church building that sits to the West, is a garden plaza as well as a parking lot to the south.
As with all Latter-day Saint temples, the need to provide easy access for patrons is a concern. The city of Rexburg requested $1.2 million from the federal government in which to build a road that would provide a direct route to campus and to the Rexburg Idaho Temple. The request was approved and was also increased to nearly $3 million.
In October 2021, President Russell M. Nelson announced that a second temple would be built in Rexburg, Idaho.
Contents
Groundbreaking
While most temple groundbreakings are limited to invited guests, the groundbreaking ceremony for the Rexburg Idaho Temple held on July 30, 2005, was open to any and all who desired to attend. Over 8,000 people crowded on the field where the temple now stands. Elder John H. Groberg officiated. He was born and raised in Idaho Falls and was the newly called president of the Idaho Falls Idaho Temple at the time.
Interior and Exterior
The Rexburg Idaho Temple features beautiful ordinance room murals by Rexburg artist Leon Parson, reflecting the wildlife and landscapes of the Upper Snake River Valley. Parson was the 2010 recipient of the Eliza R. Snow Award.
A wheat motif, created by Utah artist Tom Holdman, is used throughout the Rexburg Idaho Temple including most of the 700 art-glass windowpanes. The wheat stalk symbolizes the widespread agricultural industry in the area.
The finest materials were used for this House of the Lord including wood imported from Africa and stone and tile from Israel.
The exterior walls of the Rexburg Idaho Temple are made of 637 precast panels from 45 different molds, including the retaining wall. The material is called China White—a white quartz finish (mined in Washington State) on concrete panels. A water-proofing compound allows dust to wash off in the rain, keeping the temple a radiant white.
On September 21, 2006, the angel Moroni statue was installed atop the temple spire in commemoration of the 183rd anniversary of Moroni's visit to the Prophet Joseph Smith.
Youth Celebration
The evening preceding the dedication of the temple, some 2,000 youth from the temple district's 17 stakes gathered in the Hart Auditorium on the BYU–Idaho campus to celebrate the area's heritage in a vibrant display of costume, music, dance, and multimedia. The celebration was broadcast to stake centers and other buildings on campus to accommodate the great number in attendance. Narration highlighted significant events from Upper Snake River Valley history including pioneer struggles, the founding of Ricks Academy, and the role of agriculture.[1]
Open House and Dedication
Interest in the open house of the Rexburg Idaho Temple was so high that additional early morning and evening tours were added to each day. Over 200,000 visitors toured the temple.
The Rexburg Idaho Temple dedication was delayed one week due to the passing of Church President Gordon B. Hinckley on Sunday evening, January 27, 2008.
President Thomas S. Monson was installed as the 16th president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Sunday, February 3, 2008—the day originally scheduled for the dedication of the Rexburg Idaho Temple. He dedicated the temple one week later on February 10.
Temple Videos
Temples in Idaho
- Boise Idaho Temple
- Burley Idaho Temple
- Idaho Falls Idaho Temple
- Meridian Idaho Temple
- Montpelier Idaho Temple
- Pocatello Idaho Temple
- Rexburg Idaho Temple
- Teton River Idaho Temple
- Twin Falls Idaho Temple
