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By Vickie Speek
Angels Moroni Placed on Three Temples
NAUVOO, ILLINOIS -- A statue of the Angel Moroni was hoisted above the
Nauvoo Temple and two other temples last Friday. It was the 178th
anniversary of the day LDS scriptures say the angel first appeared to church
founder, the Prophet Joseph Smith Jr.
At least 500 people turned out in person to watch the gold-plated statue
placed atop the temple dome. An untold number of others around the world
watched on the Internet. Angel Moroni statues were also lifted
simultaneously to crown temples under construction in Boston, Massachusetts
and The Hague, in the Netherlands. The placement of the statue was the last
outdoor event before a five-week open house begins May 18.
The new structure will closely resemble the original Nauvoo Temple, finished
in 1846 and abandoned a year later when church members fled to Utah. An
inscription above a set of great arched doorways reads "commenced April 6,
1841."
The original Nauvoo temple had a recumbent flying Angel Moroni on top, but
modern temples have a standing angel. The statue placed Friday is one of a
trumpeting Angel Moroni standing on top of a globe, facing the Mississippi
River. Spectators cheered as the angel was set into place, after which a
bell in the temple's domed tower chimed seven times.
An open house will be held in May and June to allow members of the public to
tour the building. After a June 27 dedication ceremony the structure will be
considered a sacred building and will be closed to all but the church's most
faithful members.
Source:
Angels take their places on 3 temples
Deseret News 22Sep01 N1
By Stephen A. Martin: Deseret News correspondent
Open house for Nauvoo Temple starts on May 18
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