St. Louis Missouri Temple
The St. Louis Missouri Temple is the 50th operating temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
In the early days of the Church of Jesus Christ, when the Church was centered in Missouri, members experienced great spiritual manifestations as well as intense persecution. The members had planned to build temples in Far West and Independence, Missouri but the distrust and persecution from those around them made it impossible to do so. After an extermination order was given from Governor Lilburn Boggs and the Prophet Joseph Smith and other leaders were arrested, the members of the Church of Jesus Christ were forced from their Missouri homes at gunpoint in the middle of winter.
Those in the eastern part of Missouri heard of the injustices to the Saints and offered them refuge for a time. Because of its strong historical roots, when the announcement came for a Latter-day Saint temple to be built in Missouri, the members of the Church were thrilled.
President Gordon B. Hinckley dedicated the St. Louis Missouri Temple on June 1, 1997. During the dedicatory prayer President Hinckley stated, "We are reminded that this temple stands on the soil of the state of Missouri where the Prophet [Joseph Smith] and his associates suffered so much, and were finally banished by a cruel and illegal order of extermination. Terrible were their losses, terrible their suffering. We are grateful that the extermination order has been revoked[1] and the persecution is long since gone. Today Thy Church basks in the sunlight of good will." [1]
The St. Louis Missouri Temple stands as a memorial to the early Missouri Saints and the hardships they persevered through. The temple has a total of 58,749 square feet, four ordinance rooms, and four sealing rooms. It has a white granite exterior and a 150-foot spire topped with a gold-leafed statue of the angel Moroni.
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Notes
- "'May it be preserved by Thy power'" Church News, 7 June 1997, 4
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