The First Presidency on Friday announced both the end of an era and the beginning of a new era for the temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
The Church will end the practice of law enforcement officers performing live the Foundation – a temple ceremony depicting the creation, fall, and Atonement of Jesus Christ – at the Salt Lake Temple when the renovation is complete. The live presentation will also be discontinued at the Manti Temple later this year. Thereafter, the foundation ceremonies in these two temples will continue with films as in any other temple.
The decision also puts an end to the historic, centuries-old frescoes on the walls of the various rooms that were used for the progressive, room-to-room decor, the First Presidency said.
In the meantime, a temple will have two baptisms for the first time.
The Salt Lake Temple renovation is being adapted to add a second baptistery. Some have speculated about such a move in recent years because many Latter-day Saint youth want to baptize their ancestors as proxies.
The First Presidency also made several other announcements in its statement, including that the renovation of the Manti Temple, first announced by President Russell M. Nelson in April 2019, will begin later this year.
The capacity of the Salt Lake Temple will more than double with the changes, according to the Friday release.
The end of the live presentation foundation
From the beginning of the foundation ceremony in the 1840s, volunteer stewards were employed to portray the plan of salvation as temple guests went through four stages, beginning in the Creation Room and into a Garden of Eden Room, another that depicts the world after the Fall, the Earth Room and finally the heavens.
According to ChurchofJesusChrist.org, the pioneering foundation ceremonies lasted almost a day. Church leaders have streamlined the ceremony over the years.
In 1927, the First Presidency said it would not make the foundation a film at the time, but in 1953 Church President David O. McKay commissioned a future Church President, Gordon B. Hinckley, to adapt the foundation for the Bern Switzerland Temple. which was the first to offer the ceremony in multiple languages outside of the United States.
The result was 16mm film that was used exclusively in the temple during the foundation. The church had nine temples when the Bern Temple opened. Temple volunteers performing the ceremony continued everywhere except Bern, but after a 10th temple was built in Los Angeles, all future temples were set up for movies.
For the past few decades, live presentations have only continued at the Salt Lake and Manti temples. The Salt Lake Temple was closed for renovations in late 2019. Those in charge initially said the temple would reopen with both filmed foundations and live presentations.
The Manti Temple was closed in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It has resumed live presentation equipment but is not yet available for proxy gifting ceremonies performed on behalf of deceased ancestors. It seems possible that these could resume before the renovation begins, as the number of COVID-19 cases in Utah plummets and all adults in the state are eligible for vaccinations starting April 1.
The Manti Utah Temple is pictured ahead of a dress rehearsal for the Mormon Miracle Contest in the temple grounds on Wednesday June 12, 2019 in Manti, Utah. Scott G. Winterton, Deseret News
Later that year, no date was given for the start of renovation of the Manti Temple.
Removal of the frescoes from the Salt Lake Temple
Church leaders originally planned to preserve and preserve the Salt Lake Temple frescoes. The First Presidency noted on Friday that the significant earthquake and accessibility improvements associated with the new decision to add two classrooms for single room Foundation film presentations, the removal or repainting of murals on the walls of the Foundation rooms in 1892- 3 and 2013 required 1915.
“It was impossible to know whether the murals could be preserved during such a move,” said Friday’s statement. “They were originally painted directly on slatted and plastered walls that were repaired and repainted many times due to water damage and other damage. By switching to a film presentation, the rooms were reconfigured. For all of these reasons, the murals were carefully photographed and documented prior to removal, and some of the original parts are kept in the church’s archives. “
In France, the Church funded the training of the artists who painted the original murals that can be seen here.
The two additional classrooms, additional sealing rooms, and the second baptistery will expand the capacity and number of temple ordinances performed, the First Presidency said. While the processions make way for more foundation meetings that begin more frequently, they also allow the temple to hold foundation ceremonies in 80 languages instead of just English.
The First Presidency also said it had decided to remove the Salt Lake Temple cafeteria. Its space is used for facilities to support the temple’s increased capacity.
The three members of the First Presidency look forward to completing the renovation in 2024 and hosting an open house.
“We look forward to the day the renovation is complete and we can welcome friends from all over the world to visit the temple prior to its dedication and then to worship members again in this beautiful house of the Lord,” they said.
Renovation of the Manti Temple
President Nelson announced in April 2019 that the Church would renovate all pioneering temples in Salt Lake City, St. George, Manti, and Logan.
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Andy Kirby, director of historic temple renovations for Latter-day Saint Church of Jesus Christ, speaks to the media outside the unfinished entrance to St. George Temple in St. George, Utah on Friday, November 6, 2020. The new entrance replaces an older one from the 1970s and reflects the aesthetics of the original temple. The historic temple is currently under renovation and is expected to be completed in 2022. Nick Adams for the Deseret News
St. George renovations began in November 2019 and Salt Lake began opening in 2020. Work at Manti and Logan was not planned.
“Beginning later this year,” the First Presidency said Friday, “the Manti Temple will begin a multi-year renovation that includes mechanical updates and other changes to prepare the temple for generations.” “
It was also said that the renovations at Manti and Salt Lake would preserve their historic stairs.
Mormon temple worship takes place in 168 temples around the world. LDS temple services are different from regular Sunday services, which are held by over 30,000 congregations in buildings called chapels or meeting houses.
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