Red Cliffs Utah Temple
Dedication scheduled
Number189
Dedication24 March 2024, by Henry B. Eyring
Site14.7 acres (5.9 ha)
Floor area96,277 sq ft (8,944.4 m2)
Official website • News & images
Church chronology
←
Orem Utah Temple
Red Cliffs Utah Temple		 →
Urdaneta Philippines Temple
Additional information
Announced7 October 2018, by Russell M. Nelson[1][2]
Groundbreaking7 November 2020, by Jeffrey R. Holland[3]
Open house30 January-2 March 2024
LocationSt. George, Utah, United States
Geographic coordinates37°04′56″N 113°31′11″W / 37.0823°N 113.5196°W / 37.0823; -113.5196
Baptistries1
Ordinance rooms4
Sealing rooms6
()
The Red Cliffs Utah Temple, with an air balloon in the distance
The Red Cliffs Utah Temple

The Red Cliffs Utah Temple, originally announced as the Washington County Utah Temple, is a temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints under construction in St. George, Utah. The intent to construct the temple was announced in October 2018 by church president Russell M. Nelson. When completed, it will be the second temple in Washington County, with the St. George Utah Temple, and the fourth in southern Utah.[4]

The temple is projected to be approximately 90,000 square feet and contain three stories.[5] The construction is a significant development in a region where church members form a substantial part of the population. Temples differ from regular meetinghouses and church members consider them sacred and they are used to perform ordinances like marriages and proxy baptisms.[6] A public open house is scheduled from February 1 to March 2, 2024, with the dedication, led by Henry B. Eyring, of the church's First Presidency, planned for March 24, 2024.

History

The intent to build the temple was announced by Nelson on October 7, 2018, during the church's general conference.[7][8] The location for the temple was announced in November 2019.[9] A groundbreaking ceremony took place on November 7, 2020, with Jeffrey R. Holland, a native of St. George, and a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles presiding.[10][11][12] Attendance was limited to 70 people due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[13][14]

Located on a 14-acre site at the northeast corner of 3000 East and 1580 South, the Red Cliffs Utah Temple, once completed, will be the second temple in St. George and the 20th in Utah. The sunken and swampy land was the last area to be settled by pioneers.[15] The site was originally the location of a family farm through the 1800s and most of the 1900s. The site is in the Washington Fields area of St. George,[16] and originally had the name "Charmin' Acres." The family sold the land to the church in the 1960s with the intent that it would remain farmland. The land now contains three stake centers, a chapel, and the temple.[15]

In May 2022, a statue of the Angel Moroni, a feature of many Latter-day Saint temples, was installed.[17] The temple, initially announced as the Washington County Utah Temple, was renamed the Red Cliffs Utah Temple on June 19, 2020. The name came from Holland and his wife, Patricia T. Holland, who had been asked by the First Presidency for any suggestions. The idea for the name came after driving past the red cliffs of Petticoat Mountain. Holland stated that his wife "looked toward Pine Valley and said, ‘Well, there are sure a lot of red cliffs around here.’ We thought that had kind of a ring to it.” The suggestion was submitted to the First Presidency, who approved the temple's name.[15][4]

The Red Cliffs Utah Temple represents an expansion of the church’s physical presence in the region and a continuation of its historical and cultural legacy in St. George. The temple’s establishment serves to accommodate the increasing membership of the church in the region.[18] Craig C. Christensen, while serving as president of the church's Utah Area, said that the growth in the area has been "magnificent," and that "when the St. George temple was open and working, people couldn’t get in," which justified this (and possibly other) temples.[15] In the dedicatory prayer offered at the groundbreaking, Holland noted the Red Cliffs Temple was a "a sister temple [to the St. George Temple] to serve the growth in this region".[19]

On October 16, 2023, the church announced that a public open house would be held from February 1 to March 2, 2024 (excluding Sundays). The temple is scheduled to be dedicated by Henry B. Eyring on March 24, 2024.[20]

Design

A rendering of the temple was released in April 2020.[18] The temple has an area of about 90,000 square feet (8,400 m2), and sits on a site of 14 acres.[4] The temple has many rectangular windows on the front, along with a large arched window in the middle.[4] On the top of the building is a multilevel spire, with arched windows on the bottom, and arched openings on the top.[4] The temple was built on a sunken field in a swamp, amid sandstone buttes and mesas.[15] Due to a high water table, the foundation used to be unable to support the foundation.[4] Workers moved more than 30,000 cubic yards of red dirt from the foundation of the St. George Temple to stabilize the foundation of the Red Cliffs Temple.[4]

See also

Temples in Utah ()
Wasatch Front Temples
Temples along the Wasatch Front ()
  • = Operating
  • = Under construction
  • = Announced
  • = Temporarily Closed
()

References

  1. ↑ "Twelve Temples Announced as October 2018 General Conference Closes: Number of temples operating, announced or under construction now above 200", Newsroom, LDS Church, 7 October 2018
  2. ↑ LDS Church announces plans to build 12 new temples worldwide, pioneer generation temples will be renovated, KSTU Fox 13, 7 October 2018
  3. ↑ https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/groundbreaking-held-for-red-cliffs-utah-temple
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Red Cliffs Utah Temple | Church News Almanac". Almanac. Retrieved 2024-01-11.
  5. ↑ "Church Announces Groundbreakings for Two Utah Temples". newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org. 2020-08-13. Retrieved 2024-01-10.
  6. ↑ "Latter-day Saint church calls local couple to serve as Red Cliffs Temple president, matron". Retrieved 2024-01-10.
  7. ↑ Kessler, Mori (14 August 2020). "Groundbreaking for Red Cliffs Utah Temple in St. George set for November". St. George News. Retrieved 2 February 2022.
  8. ↑ Bancroft, Kaitlyn (19 March 2022). "Washington County Utah Temple re-named Red Cliffs Utah Temple". The Spectrum. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
  9. ↑ "Washington County Utah Temple Site Announced". newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org. 2019-11-06. Retrieved 2024-01-10.
  10. ↑ Kessler, Mori (7 October 2021). "Red Cliffs Utah Temple takes shape as construction continues". KSL. Retrieved 2 February 2022.
  11. ↑ Forgie, Adam (13 August 2020). "Two Utah LDS temples to break ground this fall, renderings released". KUTV. Retrieved 2 February 2022.
  12. ↑ Tabine, Sarah (7 November 2021). "Ground broken for a second Latter-day Saint temple in St. George". Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved 2 February 2022.
  13. ↑ "'A happy and holy day': Ground broken for Red Cliffs Utah temple". The Spectrum. 8 November 2020. Retrieved 2 February 2022.
  14. ↑ Kessler, Mori. "'A blessing on this property': Latter-day Saints break ground for Red Cliffs Utah Temple". stgeorgeutah.com. St George News. Retrieved 2 February 2022.
  15. 1 2 3 4 5 "At Red Cliffs Utah Temple groundbreaking, Elder Holland calls temples the 'sweet and soothing answer to our problems'". Deseret News. 2020-11-08. Retrieved 2024-01-11.
  16. ↑ "Newly renamed Red Cliffs Temple honors St. George landmark". Deseret News. 2020-07-14. Retrieved 2024-01-12.
  17. ↑ Teare, Ammon (25 May 2022). "'An angel from on high:' Red Cliffs Temple receives a heavenly addition". St. George News. Retrieved 1 December 2022.
  18. 1 2 "Renderings Released for Three Temples in the Western United States". newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org. 2020-04-07. Retrieved 2024-01-11.
  19. ↑ Red Cliff's Utah Temple- The Dedicatory Prayer (PDF). p. 2.
  20. ↑ "Open House and Dedication Dates Announced for the Red Cliffs Utah Temple: Groundbreaking date released for the Kaohsiung Taiwan Temple", Newsroom, LDS Church, 16 October 2023
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