PROVO, Utah — Hundreds gathered on the grounds of the Provo Utah Temple May 12, to watch workers place a 13-foot, 300-pound, gold-leaf statue of the Angel Moroni atop the temple.
"It doesn't change the nature of anything we do inside the temple, but it's become a symbol of the temples, and so it's nice to have it in our valley," said Jay Smith, president of the Provo temple.
Of the Church's 114 temples worldwide, fewer than a dozen do not feature a statue of the Angel Moroni. In November the Church placed a Moroni statue atop the Ogden Utah Temple and painted the steeple white. Church spokesman Coke Newell said there are no plans to make any other landscaping or design changes at the Provo temple, which is similar in appearance to the Ogden temple. Both were dedicated in 1972.
"It's to recognize an emblem and symbol of the Church," he said of the statue that adorns most temples. "It just adds to their nature and look of that building as a sacred structure."
