Salt Lake & San Diego California Temples

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints builds temples all around the world where faithful members go to learn more of Jesus Christ and his plan, receive ordinances for themselves, and perform vicarious work for their deceased ancestors. These temples are beautifully constructed both inside and out. They are designed to direct our thoughts heavenward and seal families together for eternity. The redemptive work that is performed here is not to be found anywhere else on the earth. All people are invited to experience for themselves the grandeur and blessings of temple work by qualifying themselves to enter the House of the Lord.  In the meantime, I'll be taking you through the A to Z of our temples.

SALT LAKE TEMPLE

The Salt Lake Temple at night

The Salt Lake Temple is the most instantly recognisable temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. After the early Saints were viciously persecuted and forced to leave their previous homes of Kirtland, Ohio and Illinois, they trekked west through the plains and wilderness until they reached the Great Salt Lake Basin where they settled and turned the soggy barren land into a fruitful home. 

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is headquartered in Salt Lake City, semi-annual General Conferences are held in the Conference Centre there, and all the top leadership of the Church comprising the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, live there. It represents the heartbeat of this worldwide church.

Holiness to the Lord inscription on the Salt Lake Temple

Door handle detail on the Salt Lake Temple

A pilgrimage to Salt Lake City and Temple Square is considered by most Latter-day Saints to be a life's ambition.

In this video below are some great aerial shots of Temple Square:

The early members of the Church, after settling in the Salt Lake Valley, determined to build a House of the Lord in their new home. They had previously been forced to leave their beloved temple in Nauvoo Illinois behind, burned by arsonists and later lashed by hurricane-force winds. The Salt Lake Temple began construction in 1853 and was finally completed 40 years later in 1893. It remains today one of the most beautiful and distinguished landmarks in America.

The Salt Lake Temple reflected splendidly in a nearby pool

At Christmastime, Temple Square is decorated with thousands of lights and is a huge attraction to tourists from all over the globe, whether members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints or not. Take a look at this short video showing Temple Square at Christmas:

SAN DIEGO CALIFORNIA TEMPLE

The magnificent San Diego California Temple

The distinctive San Diego California Temple

The San Diego Temple most certainly had to find a way into the A-Z of temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as one of the most stunningly jaw-dropping structures it owns. There is a great story of how the San Diego Temple was thought out and designed and how it came to contain over 10,000 of these shapes:

This shape is known as the Seal of Melchizedek, or a symbol of Jesus Christ. For a detailed exploration, please see my post about the San Diego Temple and the Seal of Melchizedek.

Here is an aerial collection of shots of this magnificent temple:

And another aerial by day:

Temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints