Standing tall on Beacon Hill, the Cedar City Temple is complete and ready for visitors. Tours are taking place throughout the week and the temple opens to the public on Friday, Oct. 27.
The temple will serve not only as a place of worship for members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but also as an example of fine workmanship that reflects the city’s heritage. This design is immediately evident when looking at the temple. The structure is based on pioneer buildings including the St. George and Manti temples. The artistic aspects are drawn from the Southern Utah environment; including the columbine flower that is seen in the stained glass from the outside of the temple.
At the front and rear entrances of the temple, visitors are greeted with stained-glass depictions of Christ. These two depictions are part of a set of four windows which, according to Larry Wilson, a general authority of the church, were purchased by a private party from a Presbyterian church in New York City.
The windows were then donated to the LDS church. One window is in the Star Valley, Wyoming Temple, one is in the Provo City Center Temple and the other two are now in Cedar City.
Inside the temple, African mahogany is engraved with the columbine flower as well as juniper berries and used to form everything from railings and staircases to doors and frames. The floor is composed of marble from Spain, Israel, Iran and Turkey.
“It’s an example of the kind of effort the church makes to use the finest materials and to finish them in the most beautiful way we can,” Wilson said.
Other features of art within the temple include many prints of paintings and eight original pieces. Among the original paintings is a depiction of the woman taken in adultery interacting with Christ, as described in the New Testament. It was painted by local artist Del Parson, who has been commissioned by the church on many projects, including the famous “Christ in Red Robe.”
Tickets for the open house are now available at cedarcityutahtemple.com.
Story by
Jenna Chapman
accent@suunews.com
