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On March 20, 1839, the Prophet Joseph Smith wrote a letter to the Church saying, “As well might man stretch forth his puny arm to stop the Missouri river in its decreed course, or to turn it up stream, as to hinder the Almighty from pouring down knowledge from heaven upon the heads of the Latter-day Saints” (Doctrine and Covenants 121:33).
The St. Louis Missouri Temple — located in the city just south of where the Missouri and Mississippi rivers meet — is considered a symbol of the fulfillment of Joseph Smith’s prophecy.
In 1844, after and during much of the persecution members of the Church faced in Missouri, some fled to St. Louis, where they found tolerance and compassion from the residents of the city. St. Louis was considered a “city of refuge” for early Saints already living in Missouri and for those coming from across seas. After Joseph Smith’s martyrdom, St. Louis condemned the murder.
With the terrible events that early Church members endured in Missouri, it is seen fitting that a temple was dedicated in St. Louis — the city that was considered a place of refuge from persecution.
The day of the groundbreaking ceremony was cloudy and cold with intermittent flurries, but around 5,000 attendees still joined to see the St. Louis Missouri Temple site dedicated. President Gordon B. Hinckley, first counselor in the First Presidency, said at the Oct. 30, 1993 event, “This may sound strange, but I am rather glad it is cold. I think it brings us to a greater appreciation for the Saints who left the state of Missouri in 1838 under the orders of the then governor; a tragic episode in the history of our people, and I think that it must be so for Missouri.”
In his dedicatory prayer on the temple almost three years later on June 1, 1997, President Hinckley — who became 15th President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1995 — said, “We pray that [the temple] may be a place of peace and security and that all who enter it may do so with the realization that they come as Thy guests to Thy house. ... May all find this to be a place of refuge from the noise and unrest of the world.”
The temple now shines as a bright symbol of hope from a difficult past. “This beautiful structure stands as a testimony of the strength and resiliency of Thy people,” the President of the Church said.
The house of the Lord was dedicated in 19 sessions, the first two days of dedicatory sessions presided over by President Hinckley. His counselors — President Thomas S. Monson and President James E. Faust — presided over the remaining sessions.
Dedicatory prayer excerpt: “We are reminded that this temple stands on the soil of the state of Missouri, where the Prophet 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 and the persecution is long since gone. Today Thy Church basks in the sunlight of good will. Hundreds of thousands of visitors have come to view this, Thy holy house. They have left with respect and appreciation.”
Read the dedicatory prayer of the St. Louis Missouri Temple here.
On Dec., 29, 1990, the First Presidency — then consisting of Presidents Ezra Taft Benson, Gordon B. Hinckley and Thomas S. Monson — announced a house of the Lord for St. Louis, Missouri. This announcement came in a letter to local Church leaders in the Midwestern United States.
The St. Louis Missouri Temple groundbreaking ceremony was held on Oct. 30, 1993, and presided over by President Hinckley. President Monson was also in attendance, as well as Elder Dallin H. Oaks of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
The temple open house was held from April 26, 1997, to May 24, 1997. Approximately 260,000 people visited the open house during this time.
The St. Louis Missouri Temple was dedicated during 19 sessions from June 1 to June 5, 1997. President Gordon B. Hinckley — who became 15th President of the Church in 1995 — read his prayer on June 1 and June 2. The Prophet’s counselors — Presidents Thomas S. Monson and James E. Faust — read the prayer during sessions from June 3 to June 4 and from June 4 to June 5, respectively.
The St. Louis Missouri Temple was announced Dec. 29, 1990, by the First Presidency. Ground was broken for the temple on Oct. 30, 1993, with President Hinckley presiding.
After an open house from April 26, 1997, to May 24, 1997, the temple was dedicated during 19 sessions from June 1 to June 5, 1997. The dedicatory prayer was written by President Hinckley and read by him and his counselors, President Thomas S. Monson and President James E. Faust.
The St. Louis Missouri Temple is approximately 60,000 square feet with a Bethel White granite exterior and gold-colored statue of the angel Moroni. The landscape includes a spacious area of grass at the front, with trees lining the walkways up to the temple.
Inside this house of the Lord are four ordinance rooms, four sealing rooms and a baptistry.
29 December 1990
1 June 1997
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This was the first Latter-day Saint temple in Missouri.
Although the St. Louis Missouri Temple was the first temple to be built in Missouri, temple sites had already been dedicated by the Prophet Joseph Smith in Independence, Missouri, in 1831; and Far West, Missouri, in 1838. The Far West temple site still has the original four cornerstones laid when early Latter-day Saints began construction on the house of the Lord, before they were stopped.
St. Louis, Missouri, is where two large rivers — the Missouri and the Mississippi — meet.
The temple joins other important Missouri landmarks in the area, including the Gateway Arch.
This was the first Latter-day Saint temple in Missouri.
Although the St. Louis Missouri Temple was the first temple to be built in Missouri, temple sites had already been dedicated by the Prophet Joseph Smith in Independence, Missouri, in 1831; and Far West, Missouri, in 1838. The Far West temple site still has the original four cornerstones laid when early Latter-day Saints began construction on the house of the Lord, before they were stopped.
St. Louis, Missouri, is where two large rivers — the Missouri and the Mississippi — meet.
The temple joins other important Missouri landmarks in the area, including the Gateway Arch.