Dedication of the Nauvoo Illinois Temple
The idea to rebuild the Nauvoo Temple first came when President Gordon B. Hinckley’s father, Bryant S. Hinckley, was serving as president of a mission that included Nauvoo, Illinois. Hinckley presented the idea to the First Presidency in 1939, but due to the Great Depression, the Church wasn’t in a financial position to rebuild a temple at that time, so the idea was turned down.
Then, 60 years later, his son — President Gordon B. Hinckley, then President of the Church — announced the rebuilding of the Nauvoo Temple on April 2, 1999.
At the groundbreaking ceremony, President Hinckley said, “There will grace this sight a magnificent structure, a re-creation of that which existed here and served our people so briefly during that great epic [Nauvoo] period of the history of the Church.”
He said that Nauvoo was “where it all really began.” Although the Kirtland Temple was the first house of the Lord built in this dispensation, President Hinckley explained that “there was no ordinance work [done] in that temple.” The Nauvoo Temple was different in that regard; the Nauvoo Temple is where temple ordinances first began and is what makes the Nauvoo Temple so unique in its history.
“This building, in my judgment, will do more for Nauvoo than anything that has happened here in a long time,” he said. And one member offered a similar sentiment, saying, “The last time something like this happened here, it was done by Joseph Smith.”
“This will be the house of the Lord,” President Hinckley continued. “It will be dedicated as His holy house. It will be reserved and set aside for the accomplishment of His divine and eternal purposes. It will occupy a special place in the belief and testimony and the conviction of this people. It will have great historic significance. It will be a thing of beauty and, I hope, a joy forever.”
President Hinckley dedicated the rebuilt Nauvoo Illinois Temple just a few years later, from June 27 to June 30, 2002, during 13 sessions.
The rebuilt Nauvoo Illinois Temple now stands as a symbol of God’s enduring promises to those who “press forward with a steadfastness in Christ” (2 Nephi 31:20). It is a testament that through faithful Saints, God can “restore again that which was lost” (Doctrine and Covenants 124:28), whether it be a temple, the priesthood or the fullness of the gospel.
Joining President Hinckley at the dedication were President Thomas S. Monson, first counselor in the First Presidency; President Boyd K. Packer, acting president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles; and other Church leaders.
The first and last of the 13 dedication sessions were broadcast via satellite to 2,300 locations throughout 72 countries. The broadcast was translated into 38 languages. It was reported that Saints from these countries wept when they watched the dedication on their television. For many of these members, watching the Nauvoo Illinois Temple dedication on screen was the first time they had ever participated in a Church satellite transmission.
One member in Hong Kong said, “Teardrops fell down from our eyes when President Gordon B. Hinckley reminded us of the martyrdom of Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum, the most tragic event in the Church’s early history. Our eyes were also lifted up to the great work of Joseph Smith when our living Prophet said that we have not seen the end of Joseph Smith’s marvelous work.”
Other members watching the broadcasts said that although they weren’t there in person, they would always feel a connection to Nauvoo for being witness to its dedication.
Dedicatory prayer excerpt: “Father dear, bless this land that those who govern shall never trample the rights of the people as was once done in Nauvoo. May liberty and peace be maintained under the banner of the Constitution, which Thou hast caused to be established ‘for the rights and protection of all flesh’ (Doctrine and Covenants 101:77). Bless this city of Nauvoo, which came to be known as the City of Joseph. May it shine with a renewed luster as the home of a temple of God. May this sacred house stand as a memorial to him who lived here and was buried here, Joseph Smith, the great Prophet of this dispensation, and his brother Hyrum, whom he loved.”
Read the dedicatory prayer of the Nauvoo Illinois Temple here.
Timeline of the Nauvoo Illinois Temple
On April 4, 1999, a temple for the original Nauvoo Temple site was announced during general conference by President Gordon B. Hinckley. Just over three years later, on June 27, 2002, President Hinckley dedicated the Nauvoo Illinois Temple.
Architecture and Design of the Nauvoo Illinois Temple
The Nauvoo Illinois Temple overlooks a bend in the Mississippi River and stands on around 4 acres. The structure has an area of 47,000 square feet and reaches 150 feet tall. “I was amazed at the height of it,” said President Hinckley, 15th President of the Church. “I knew the dimensions in feet, but I’d never envisioned that height.” The temple includes an assembly room, a baptistry, a chapel, five progressive instruction rooms and six sealing rooms.
The exterior of the temple was made with limestone quarried out of Alabama; it is a near duplicate of the original stone used for the 1846 Nauvoo Temple. The architecture was also designed to replicate that of the original structure, whose design had been created by Joseph Smith.
Included on the exterior are 30 replicas of the original sunstones. The sunstones symbolized the dawning of the Restoration — the light of the gospel illuminating the earth out of the Great Apostasy. Each sunstone is placed on a pillar with a starstone above the sunstone; a moonstone was placed at the base of each pillar. The placement of the stones is meant to reflect Revelation 12:1, which describes “a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars.”