In Exodus 28:36, Moses was directed to make in the high priest’s clothing “a plate of pure gold, and grave upon it, like the engravings of a signet, Holiness to the Lord.”
Now many centuries later, the “Holiness to the Lord” panel on the Salt Lake Temple has been restored.
Here’s an update about renovation work on the Salt Lake Temple — including the assembly room and north sealing wing addition — published in an Aug. 28 news release on ChurchofJesusChrist.org.
‘Holiness to the Lord’ panel restored
Above the east center tower, below the statue of the angel Moroni, rests the “Holiness to the Lord” panel, which was recently regilded in gold leaf.
“The technical process was to clean the plaque because it had been destroyed by the weather,” said Anne Domenech, an artist with Evergreen, who oversaw the delicate gilding work.
She prepared the surface carefully before applying the gold, a complicated process because of constant changes in climate and the sun’s interference with the drying process.
The words “Holiness to the Lord: The House of the Lord” were first carved by John Rowe Moyle, an English convert and accomplished stonecutter.
In the 1800s, Moyle journeyed to the Salt Lake Valley with a handcart company and settled in Alpine, Utah. After being asked to work on the temple, Moyle would walk 22 miles to Salt Lake on Monday mornings. He’d stay until 5 o’clock Friday afternoon and return to Alpine at around midnight.
One day he suffered a compound fracture in his leg, which had to be amputated. But Moyle didn’t give up — he carved a wooden leg and built up endurance to make the 22-mile journey again.
“I was told about the story of the sculptor, and that moved me to the bottom of my soul,” said Domenech. “I was there, putting gold leaf on what [Moyle] had touched and engraved and sculpted in the wall of the temple. From that moment, everything became almost holy.”
In his 2008 talk “Lift Where You Stand,” and while serving as second counselor in the First Presidency, then-President Dieter F. Uchtdorf pointed to Moyle’s faithfulness and sacrifice.
“John did not do this for the praise of man,” he said in October 2008 general conference. “Neither did he shirk his duty, even though he had every reason to do so. He knew what the Lord expected him to do.”
Assembly room finish work underway
Scaffolding has been removed from the large assembly room on the fifth floor of the Salt Lake Temple. Finish work is now underway.
The assembly room, designed for large gatherings and special meetings, is where Church leaders come together for counsel and instruction.
North wing chandeliers installed
In the new sealing wing addition, connected to the temple’s north wall, significant work is underway.
This work includes chandeliers that have been installed in the addition’s sealing rooms. Altars are in the process of being gilded, while stonework and window trim are also being placed.
This north wing will accommodate 12 additional sealing rooms — increasing the capacity of the historic temple from 13 to 22 sealing rooms.
