On December 27, 1832—two years after the organization of
Latter Day Saint church—the movement's founder,
Joseph Smith, Jr., reported receiving a
revelation that called upon church members to restore the practice of
temple worship. The
Latter Day Saints in
Kirtland, Ohio were commanded to:<blockquote>"Establish a house, even a house of
prayer, a house of
fasting, a house of
faith, a house of
learning, a house of
glory, a house of order, a house of God." (
Doctrine and Covenants 1835 VII:36, LDS 88:119, RLDS 85:36b)</blockquote>More important,
Latter-day Saints see temples as the fulfillment of a prophecy found in (KJV).
The
Kirtland Temple was the first temple of the
Latter Day Saint movement and the only temple completed in the lifetime of
Joseph Smith, Jr. Its unique design was replicated on a larger scale with the
Nauvoo Temple and in subsequent temples built by the church. As the needs of the church have changed, so has
Temple architecture from large castellic structures adorned with celestial symbols, to smaller, simpler designs, often derived from a standard set of plans.
Kirtland Temple
The Kirtland Temple was built in
Kirtland, Ohio. It was not designed as a
church or even as a
cathedral. The structure has two unique sets of
pulpits, representing the
Aaronic Priesthood and the
Melchizedek Priesthood. It was a house of learning, where the
School of the Prophets could meet. This temple was not built to accommodate the endowment...
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