Nauvoo Illinois Temple

Nauvoo Illinois Temple
Nauvoo Illinois Temple
Number	113
Dedication	June 27, 2002, by Gordon B. Hinckley
Site	3.3 acres (1.3 ha)
Floor area	54,000 sq ft (5,000 m2)
Height	162 ft (49 m)
	Official website • News & images
Church chronology
Additional information
Announced	April 4, 1999, by Gordon B. Hinckley
Groundbreaking	October 24, 1999, by Gordon B. Hinckley
Open house	May 6 – June 22, 2002
Current president	Chris Vernon Church
Designed by	FFKR Architecture based on design by William Weeks
Location	Nauvoo, Illinois, U.S.
Geographic coordinates	40°33′01.5″N 91°23′04.4″W / 40.550417°N 91.384556°W
Exterior finish	Limestone block quarried in Russellville, Alabama
Temple design	Greek revival
Baptistries	1
Ordinance rooms	4 (four-stage progressive)
Sealing rooms	6
Clothing rental	Yes
Visitors' center	Yes
Notes	Built on the site of the Nauvoo Temple and dedicated on the 158th anniversary of the death of Joseph Smith, the exterior is an almost exact reconstruction of the original temple. Primary difference is weather-vane has been replaced with a statue of Moroni. However, the interior has 4 progressive ordinance rooms with murals like those in the early Utah temples leading to the celestial room and 6 sealing rooms.
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The Nauvoo Illinois Temple is the 113th dedicated temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). It is the third such temple that has been built in Illinois (the original Nauvoo Temple and Chicago Illinois Temple being the others).

Located in the town of Nauvoo, the temple's construction was announced on April 4, 1999, by church president Gordon B. Hinckley. Groundbreaking was conducted on October 24, 1999 and the cornerstones were laid November 5, 2000. The structure itself was built in the Greek Revival architectural style using limestone block quarried in Russellville, Alabama. It is built in the same location as the original structure that was dedicated in 1846.

The building measures 130 feet (40 m) long, 90 feet (27 m) wide, and 162 feet (49 m) tall to the top of the statue of Angel Moroni. It has an area of 54,000 square feet (5,000 m²). It is the only temple owned by the LDS Church today that has a bell tower, although the Kirtland Temple also has a bell tower.

Church leaders and architects carefully worked to replicate the original exterior design of the 19th-century temple, which was damaged by an arson fire in 1848 and by a tornado on May 27, 1850. It was consequently condemned and demolished by the Nauvoo City Council. Construction materials and furniture were derived from the original design as well. Its interior floor plan is noticeably different from that of the old Nauvoo Temple, as is the style of the golden angel at the top of the spire. The completion and official dedication was celebrated on June 27, 2002, on the anniversary of the death of Joseph Smith, the church's founder.

Up to 1.5 million visitors a year have visited Nauvoo since the temple opened in 2002.^[2]

Original Nauvoo Temple

The Nauvoo Temple was the second temple constructed by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, commonly known as the Mormons. The church's first temple was completed in Kirtland, Ohio, United States in 1836. When the main body of the church was forced out of Nauvoo, Illinois in the winter of 1846, the church attempted to sell the building, finally succeeding in 1848.^{[citation needed]} The building was damaged by fire and a tornado before being demolished.