The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints opened the doors of a new temple in central Utah on Monday.
Media and other invited guests toured the Ephraim Utah Temple — signaling the start of an open house that will begin Wednesday and continue through Saturday, Sept. 19.
The Ephraim Utah Temple. | The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Elder Ronald A. Rasband of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles will dedicate the new temple, which features colors of golden yellows and various shades of blue. It is the second temple in Sanpete County, standing just 10 miles from the historic Manti Utah Temple.
An art-glass window inside the Ephraim Utah Temple. | The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
President Russell M. Nelson announced the Ephraim Utah Temple on May 1, 2021.
Ephraim is an area that carried great personal significance to the late prophet. "My dear mother was born in Ephraim," President Nelson said before breaking ground on the temple on Aug. 22, 2022. "My father was born in Manti. Three of my four grandparents were born here in Ephraim. All eight of my great-grandparents lived in Ephraim. All were converts to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in their native countries of England, Denmark, Norway and Sweden."
President Russell M. Nelson of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, center, his wife, Sister Wendy Nelson, left, and Elder Walter F. González, General Authority Seventy, take part in the groundbreaking ceremony for the Ephraim Utah Temple in Ephraim on Saturday, Aug. 27, 2022. | Spenser Heaps, Deseret News
During his remarks, he recalled that shortly after the April 2021 general conference, he "received very clear instruction" from the Lord that the pioneer craftsmanship of the Manti Utah Temple — which was then set to be renovated by the church — should be preserved and that a new temple should be built in Ephraim.
President Nelson said Ephraim and the greater Sanpete Valley have a rich history. "The very first Latter-day Saints entered this valley in the fall of 1849. A year later, the settlement they established was named Manti — the name coming, of course, from the Book of Mormon."
Utah, the global headquarters of the Church of Jesus Christ, is home to more than 2.2 million Latter-day Saints. The Ephraim temple is one of 32 temples in operation, under construction, under renovation or announced in the state.
The Ephraim Utah Temple. | The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
A chandelier inside the Ephraim Utah Temple. | The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
The baptistry of the Ephraim Utah Temple. | The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
A waiting area inside the Ephraim Utah Temple. | The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
