Temple Square

In 1847, when Mormon pioneers arrived in the Salt Lake Valley, settling at Salt Lake City, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) president Brigham Young selected a plot of the desert ground and said "Here we will build a temple to our God." When the city was surveyed, the block enclosing that location, a 10 acre (40,000 m²) plot, was designated for the temple, and became known as Temple Square. It also became the headquarters of LDS Church. Other buildings were built on the square, including the old tabernacle and endowment house, which were later torn down. The famous Salt Lake Tabernacle was built in 1867 to accommodate the conferences of the church, with a seating capacity of 6,000. Another beautiful church building called the Assembly Hall was later built with a seating capacity of 2,000. Today, Temple Square also features two visitors' centers, one of which houses a replica of a statue by Danish artist Bertel Thorvaldsen called the Christus.

External links

• Photographic virtual tour of Temple Square.
• VisitTempleSquare.com
• Temple Square at lds.org