In the News
Follow Us
After temple ordinances were revealed to the Prophet Joseph Smith in the 1840s, the wording was passed down by memory and word of mouth. The dedication of the St. George Utah Temple, originally called the St. George Temple, changed this. President Brigham Young — the second President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints — directed that temple ordinances be written down, ensuring wording consistency and long-term availability.
The St. George Utah Temple was dedicated by President Daniel H. Wells, second counselor in the First Presidency, from April 6 to April 8, 1877. The Church held its April 1877 general conference at the St. George temple also from April 6 to April 8, 1877, to coincide with the dedication.
In his dedicatory prayer, President Wells prayed that the temple would “stand as a monument of purity and holiness as long as the earth shall remain.”
Although the Salt Lake Temple was the first house of the Lord whose construction started in Utah Territory, the St. George Utah Temple was the first dedicated in the area. This makes it the oldest operating temple in the Church.
It was also the first temple where Latter-day Saints could perform all temple ordinances for the dead. Baptisms and sealings of a living person to a deceased spouse had previously been performed, but the St. George temple started vicarious endowments and sealings of two deceased persons.
In the temple’s first year of operation — recorded Elder Wilford Woodruff, the first president of the St. George temple — approximately 25,000 baptisms for the dead, 12,000 endowments and 3,800 sealings were performed.
“This is the first temple in the West,” said Elder Steven E. Snow — an emeritus General Authority Seventy, former Church historian and St. George native — around a century and a half later. “I think Brigham Young was very, very happy that finally a temple had been built in the West before he passed.” The Prophet passed away almost five months after the dedication.
Dedicatory prayer excerpt: “We feel not to multiply words before Thee, for language is inadequate to express the fullness of the feelings and emotions of our souls in being thus privileged to meet before Thee in this sacred, this holy place. ... May it stand as a monument of purity and holiness as long as the earth shall remain, commemorative of Thy great goodness toward us, Thy people.”
Read the dedicatory prayer of the St. George Utah Temple here.
The St. George Utah Temple has since been renovated several times. One of these renovations, starting with the temple’s closure on March 2, 1974, enlarged the annex, built to the west-side staircase and added new sealing rooms.
Following the new construction, Church President Spencer W. Kimball rededicated the temple from Nov. 11 to Nov. 12, 1975, three sessions each day. Approximately 4,200 people were seated in the temple for each of the sessions, held in the large priesthood assembly room, including Saints watching the ceremony via closed-circuit television in other rooms of the building.
In his dedicatory prayer, President Kimball applauded early pioneers and their sacrifices to make the St. George temple construction possible: “As we come to rededicate this lovely edifice — newly enlarged, cleansed, refurbished — our memories return to the beginnings when loyal, devout people, who were hardly settled from their long, painful and distressing exodus across the plains, were again uprooted and sent to this desert place to colonize the valleys of the mountains and to build the first temple west of the Mississippi River.”
Rachelle Gordon, a 10-year-old Latter-day Saint from Caliente, Nevada, called this dedication the highlight of her young life and something she would “remember all my life.”
The St. George temple has since undergone more renovations and is currently closed for reconstruction that started in 2019. It will be rededicated on Dec. 10, 2023.
Dedicatory prayer excerpt: “Our Beloved Father, let Thy Holy Spirit dwell herein. Let Thine angels minister here, to let Thy statutes be made known unto Thy people and be ever revered herein, that it may be a place of prayer and meditation and sacred instruction, that those who come within the sacred portals may feel to uncover their heads, loose their shoes from off their feet and reverence Thy holy name.”
Read the 1975 rededication prayer of the St. George Utah Temple here.
On April 7, 2019, during the Sunday afternoon session of April 2019 general conference, Church President Russell M. Nelson announced that pioneer-era temples of the Church would undergo renovations. “Efforts will be made to preserve the unique historicity of each temple wherever possible,” he said in his address, “preserving the inspiring beauty and unique craftsmanship of generations long-since passed.”
The St. George temple — whose closure was first announced in January 2019 — was the first of these pioneer-era temples to start renovation after the Prophet’s announcement. On Nov. 4, 2019, the house of the Lord was closed for extensive structural, mechanical, plumbing, electrical and finish renovations.
After these renovations, the temple held a public open house from Sept. 15 to Nov. 11, 2023. It will be rededicated during two sessions on Dec. 10, 2023, by President Jeffrey R. Holland, Acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
President Brigham Young first announced a temple for St. George, Utah, on Jan. 31, 1871, to the St. George Stake high council and other local leaders. Upon hearing the news, Elder Erastus Snow of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles shouted, “Glory, hallelujah!”
The temple’s groundbreaking ceremony was held Nov. 9, 1871, the same day it was announced, with President Brigham Young presiding.
A preliminary dedication was held on Jan. 1, 1877, to dedicate parts of the unfinished house of the Lord for performance of ordinances before the official dedication. Three members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles dedicated three separate sections of the temple: Elder Wilford Woodruff with the basement, Elder Erastus Snow with the main room on the ground floor and Elder Brigham Young Jr. with the sealing room.
President Daniel H. Wells, second counselor in the First Presidency, dedicated the St. George temple in sessions from April 6 to April 8, 1877, with President Brigham Young presiding.
The temple was closed on March 2, 1974, to remove the existing annex and replace it with a much larger structure.
An open house was held prior to the temple’s 1975 rededication, from Oct. 15 to Oct. 25, 1975.
President Spencer W. Kimball rededicated the St. George temple on Nov. 11-12, 1975. The rededication was held during six sessions over two days.
This house of the Lord was closed Nov. 4, 2019, for extensive structural, mechanical, plumbing, electrical and finish renovations. Some renovations include reinforcing wood trusses with steel, excavating around the foundation to add heating and cooling systems, and adding a smart irrigation system to the temple grounds.
The St. George temple held an open house prior to its 2023 rededication, from Sept. 15 to Nov. 11, 2023. A media day was also held Sept. 6, 2023, and special-guest tours ran through Sept. 14. Nearly 670,000 guests attended during the open-house period, with the busiest day seeing 35,000 visitors.
The St. George Utah Temple will be rededicated on Dec. 10, 2023, during two sessions. President Jeffrey R. Holland, Acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and a St. George native, will rededicate the temple. Both sessions will be broadcast to congregations in the temple district.
The St. George temple was announced by President Brigham Young on Jan. 31, 1871. The temple’s groundbreaking was held Nov. 9, 1871, with President Brigham Young presiding.
This house of the Lord was originally dedicated twice: First, a preliminary dedication to dedicate parts of the unfinished temple for usage. Second, a formal dedication three months later. President Daniel H. Wells, second counselor in the First Presidency, formally dedicated the St. George temple on April 6, 1877.
The temple has since been renovated more than 10 times, some renovations larger than others. It was rededicated by President Spencer W. Kimball on Nov. 11, 1975. After renovations, it will be rededicated again on Dec. 10, 2023, by President Jeffrey R. Holland, Acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
The 143,969-square-foot St. George temple was built in an area with swampy ground, so early Saints packed the site with volcanic rock, using a cannon as a pile driver, to create a sturdy foundation. Walls were built with sandstone and a white plaster exterior, and in later renovations, drywall and new plaster were added to repair some exterior sections. The outside walls are surrounded with two rows of long, arched windows and two rows of small, circular windows. Atop the temple is an octagonal tower with a domed cupola above it.
Inside the house of the Lord, arched doorways are decorated with millwork from maple and poplar wood. White Tuscan columns are spread around the temple in close proximity to one another, either inside open spaces or within the walls. Modern improvements — like a new elevator and upgraded electrical systems — have been added in renovations while keeping the original style of the historic temple.
Several plazas and grassy areas adorn the 6.5-acre temple grounds, with hundreds of shrubs and trees, including rows of palm trees. An annex is joined to the temple’s south side. On the southeast corner of the site is a public visitors’ center with a replica of Bertel Thorvaldsen’s Christus statue.
31 January 1871
6 April 1877
11 November 1975
10 December 2023
President Spencer W. Kimball (in 1975)
President Jeffrey R. Holland (in 2023)
250 E. 400 South
St. George, Utah 84770
United States
(1) 435-673-3533
View photos and information
(1) 435-673-5181
490 S. 300 East
St. George, Utah 84770
United States
This is the first Latter-day Saint temple dedicated in Utah and the oldest operating temple in the Church.
It’s the first house of the Lord where Latter-day Saints could perform all temple ordinances for the dead. Endowments had not previously been performed for deceased ancestors.
At the time of the temple announcement in 1871, only 1,100 Church members lived in St. George. In 1975, over 25,000 Latter-day Saints attended the rededication’s six sessions.
It was the only temple dedicated during Brigham Young’s 29 years as Church President. He passed away almost five months after the dedication.
President Wilford Woodruff performed temple work here for signers of the Declaration of Independence. These and other historical figures appeared to him on two consecutive nights to ask for their endowments to be done.
In the late 1800s and early 1900s, many Latter-day Saints in Arizona traveled to the St. George temple to receive their endowments. Because of this, the wagon road they rode through was nicknamed the “Honeymoon Trail.”
The rededicated St. George temple’s 2023 open house, held over nine weeks, saw almost 670,000 visitors, with the busiest day — Saturday, Nov. 4 — seeing about 35,000 attendees. Some 30,000 volunteers provided a combined 105,000 hours of service.
This is the first Latter-day Saint temple dedicated in Utah and the oldest operating temple in the Church.
It’s the first house of the Lord where Latter-day Saints could perform all temple ordinances for the dead. Endowments had not previously been performed for deceased ancestors.
At the time of the temple announcement in 1871, only 1,100 Church members lived in St. George. In 1975, over 25,000 Latter-day Saints attended the rededication’s six sessions.
It was the only temple dedicated during Brigham Young’s 29 years as Church President. He passed away almost five months after the dedication.
President Wilford Woodruff performed temple work here for signers of the Declaration of Independence. These and other historical figures appeared to him on two consecutive nights to ask for their endowments to be done.
In the late 1800s and early 1900s, many Latter-day Saints in Arizona traveled to the St. George temple to receive their endowments. Because of this, the wagon road they rode through was nicknamed the “Honeymoon Trail.”
The rededicated St. George temple’s 2023 open house, held over nine weeks, saw almost 670,000 visitors, with the busiest day — Saturday, Nov. 4 — seeing about 35,000 attendees. Some 30,000 volunteers provided a combined 105,000 hours of service.
