Know Your Moroni Draft2022 Rev3b

Know Your Moroni
Edition 2022 rev. 3

(February 2022)
Compiled and written by Brian A. Olson
Based on original research by Marvin D. Quist
A Special thanks to Elise Reynolds, Emily Utt and the staff at the Church
History Library for their help in finding the missing dates for the
placement of Angel Moroni Statues. And thank you for answering my
many questions!
Thank you, Marvin, for all the work you have done in editing, auditing,
and verifying this information. Your efforts make the greatest difference
in quality.
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Table of Contents
Chapter 1 .......................................................................................... 21
Who Was Moroni ........................................................................................................... 21
Chapter 2 .......................................................................................... 27
Fashion and Function: Weather Vanes .......................................................................... 27
Why Weathervanes................................................................................................... 27
Temple Weathervanes .............................................................................................. 27
The First (Not a Moroni) Angel ....................................................................................... 31
Flying in the Midst of Heaven.................................................................................... 31
Placement ................................................................................................................. 31
Description ................................................................................................................ 33
Fate of the Weathervane .......................................................................................... 35
Chapter 3 .......................................................................................... 39
Sculpture or Statue ........................................................................................................ 39
Sculpted or Carved ......................................................................................................... 39
Carving ...................................................................................................................... 39
Sculpting ................................................................................................................... 39
Criteria ........................................................................................................................... 41
Different Sculptor...................................................................................................... 41
Different Pose ........................................................................................................... 42
Statue, Not Sculpture ................................................................................................ 42
Dallin’s Moroni ............................................................................................................... 43
Creation of an Icon .................................................................................................... 43
Commission............................................................................................................... 43
Casting ...................................................................................................................... 46
Counterweight .......................................................................................................... 47
Placement ................................................................................................................. 49
Description ................................................................................................................ 50
Possible Inspiration ................................................................................................... 50
Removal for Renovation............................................................................................ 51
Identity...................................................................................................................... 54
Identification Guide .................................................................................................. 57
Malin’s Moroni ............................................................................................................... 61
Angel in the City of Angels ........................................................................................ 61
The New Temple ....................................................................................................... 61
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Malin’s Style .............................................................................................................. 63

Sculpting ................................................................................................................... 64
Casting ...................................................................................................................... 65
Gilding ....................................................................................................................... 67
Placement ................................................................................................................. 67
Maintenance ............................................................................................................. 68
Fairbanks’s Moroni ........................................................................................................ 75
Third Moroni, Ensign to the Nations ......................................................................... 75
The Competition ....................................................................................................... 75
Sculpting the Statue .................................................................................................. 77
Design ....................................................................................................................... 77
Placement ................................................................................................................. 78
The Last of the Old Guard ......................................................................................... 79
Knaphus/Wallgren Moroni ............................................................................................. 85
A New Way to Statue - DC Chapel Statue.................................................................. 85
Fate of the Statue ..................................................................................................... 85
The Need ................................................................................................................... 87
The Commission - The Lighter Statue ........................................................................ 88
The Test .................................................................................................................... 88
The Method .............................................................................................................. 89
Knaphus vs Dallin ...................................................................................................... 91
Quilter’s 1982 Moroni .................................................................................................... 95
A New Standard ........................................................................................................ 95
Creation .................................................................................................................... 95
Design ....................................................................................................................... 97
First Placement ......................................................................................................... 99
Identification Guide ................................................................................................ 101
Quilter’s 1985 Moroni .................................................................................................. 103
A Taller Standard - The Need .................................................................................. 103
Design ..................................................................................................................... 103
Placement ............................................................................................................... 105
Architects Choice .................................................................................................... 106
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Table of Contents
Wallgren’s Moroni ....................................................................................................... 109

A Life-sized Statue ................................................................................................... 109
The Commission ...................................................................................................... 109
Design ..................................................................................................................... 111
First Placement ....................................................................................................... 111
Second Placement ................................................................................................... 111
Removal .................................................................................................................. 112
Legacy ..................................................................................................................... 112
Quilter’s Moroni 1997 (3 of 3) ..................................................................................... 115
A Special Commission ............................................................................................. 115
Description .............................................................................................................. 115
Mistaken Identity .................................................................................................... 115
Placement ............................................................................................................... 117
Chapter 4 ........................................................................................ 123
Cyrus Dallin .................................................................................................................. 123
Birth and Early Life .................................................................................................. 123
Education ................................................................................................................ 123
Marriage and Return to Utah .................................................................................. 125
Educator .................................................................................................................. 127
Other Pursuits ......................................................................................................... 127
Religion ................................................................................................................... 127
Museum .................................................................................................................. 127
Famous Works by Cyrus Dallin ................................................................................ 129
Torlief Knaphus ............................................................................................................ 133
Education ................................................................................................................ 133
Conversion .............................................................................................................. 135
Work for the Church ............................................................................................... 135
Other Pursuits ......................................................................................................... 141
Famous Works by Torlief Knaphus .......................................................................... 141
Millard Malin................................................................................................................ 145
Latter-day Saint Mission.......................................................................................... 145
Education ................................................................................................................ 145
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Other Work ............................................................................................................. 151
Other Pursuits ......................................................................................................... 151
Famous Works by Millard Malin ............................................................................. 153
Avard Fairbanks ........................................................................................................... 155
Education ................................................................................................................ 157
Beginning Work for the Church ............................................................................... 159
Educator .................................................................................................................. 159
Other Work ............................................................................................................. 159
More Work .............................................................................................................. 161
Famous Works by Avard Fairbanks ......................................................................... 163
Karl Quilter ................................................................................................................... 167
Latter-day Saint Mission.......................................................................................... 169
Education ................................................................................................................ 169
Educator .................................................................................................................. 171
Nativity.................................................................................................................... 175
Other Work ............................................................................................................. 175
Famous Works by Karl Quilter................................................................................. 177
LaVar Wallgren ............................................................................................................. 179
Sculptor Forgotten by Time ..................................................................................... 179
Korean War ............................................................................................................. 181
On-the-job Training ................................................................................................. 181
Building the Business .............................................................................................. 181
Famous Works by LaVar Wallgren........................................................................... 187
Chapter 5 ........................................................................................ 191
The Rise and Fall of a Tradition .................................................................................... 191
Every Temple gets a Moroni ................................................................................... 191
Retro Active Additions ............................................................................................ 195
The End of ‘Every Temple Gets a Moroni’ ............................................................... 203
Tri-Temple Setting........................................................................................................ 211
Nauvoo Illinois ........................................................................................................ 211
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Table of Contents
The Hague Netherlands........................................................................................... 211

Boston Massachusetts ............................................................................................ 211
Lightning Rods.............................................................................................................. 213
Mount Timpanogos ................................................................................................. 213
Oquirrh Mountain ................................................................................................... 213
Nauvoo Illinois ........................................................................................................ 215
Bountiful Utah ......................................................................................................... 215
Indianapolis Indiana Temple ................................................................................... 217
Gold Leaf and Angel Replacements .............................................................................. 218
Gold Leafing a Statue .............................................................................................. 218
Regild and Replace .................................................................................................. 218
In Search of a longer lasting gold ............................................................................ 219
Trying it Without Gold............................................................................................. 222
Earthquakes ................................................................................................................. 225
Santiago Chile ......................................................................................................... 225
Apia Samoa ............................................................................................................. 225
Tokyo Japan ............................................................................................................ 225
Cebu City Philippines ............................................................................................... 227
Salt Lake .................................................................................................................. 227
Tragedy and Return ..................................................................................................... 229
Moroni That Might Have Been ..................................................................................... 231
Mesa Arizona .......................................................................................................... 231
Provo and Ogden .................................................................................................... 233
Washington D.C. ..................................................................................................... 235
Nauvoo Illinois ........................................................................................................ 237
Statues Turned after placement .................................................................................. 239
Los Angeles ............................................................................................................. 239
Johannesburg South Africa ..................................................................................... 241
Spokane Washington .............................................................................................. 241
Snowflake Arizona................................................................................................... 241
Rough Beginnings for the Seattle Statue ...................................................................... 245
The Risks of Showing off ......................................................................................... 245
Damaged in Protest................................................................................................. 247
Coincidental Angel Placements .................................................................................... 249
Turned His Back on the World ................................................................................ 249
Playing to the Concert Hall ...................................................................................... 249
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Old Home Faces New Home.................................................................................... 251

Saluting the Neighbor ............................................................................................. 251
The Wooden Angel ...................................................................................................... 253
7 Year Angel Replacement ........................................................................................... 255
Angel Gets a Shoulder Angel ........................................................................................ 257
Denver Placed and Replace .......................................................................................... 260
Moroni Speaks ............................................................................................................. 261
Moroni and Strobes ..................................................................................................... 262
Seattle Washington ................................................................................................. 262
Kyiv Ukraine ............................................................................................................ 263
Spheres and Pedestals ................................................................................................. 264
Jordan River ............................................................................................................ 264
Provo City Center .................................................................................................... 264
Philadelphia Pennsylvania ....................................................................................... 264
Meridian Idaho........................................................................................................ 265
Tucson Arizona ........................................................................................................ 265
Bountiful Utah’s Changing Mount ........................................................................... 265
Another Angel Flying .................................................................................................... 269
Santiago Chile ......................................................................................................... 269
Jordan River ............................................................................................................ 269
Unveiling Ceremony Foiled .......................................................................................... 270
The Temple with the Live Moroni ................................................................................ 271
Chapter 6 ........................................................................................ 275
Myth #1: All Temples must have an Angel Moroni Statue ........................................... 276
Myth #2: All Statues Must Face East ............................................................................ 277
Myth #3: All Statues Face the Same Direction as the Temple’s Front Doors. ............... 278
Myth #4: All Statues Must Face Independence Missouri ............................................. 279
Myth #5: The White to Gold Angel ............................................................................... 281
Myth #6: Angels and Airplanes .................................................................................... 283
. . . the reflection would have distracted pilots flying into [Gatwick] Airport. ......... 283
. . . there is a risk that a plane might hit the statue on approach. ........................... 284
. . . the statue would interfere with the computerized landing systems. ................ 284
Myth #7: Moroni and Mexico City ............................................................................... 286
Myth #8: Moroni Once Had Wings ............................................................................... 287
Myth #9: Nauvoo Statue ended up on Assembly Hall .................................................. 289
Myth #10: World’s Fair Moroni used on [Seattle] Temple ........................................... 290
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Table of Contents
Myth #11: Angel Moroni violates the Commandment against Graven Images ............ 292
Myth#12: Angel Moroni Stolen from top of Temple by Helicopter .............................. 296
Myth #13: Moroni always marks the completion of the Exterior/1 year out to dedication
..................................................................................................................................... 298
Myth #14: Angel Statues Are Very Expensive .............................................................. 299
Myth #15: Nauvoo Temple Moroni is the only one to face west because… ................. 301
Myth #16: The sign of the fallen trumpets ................................................................... 302
Salt Lake .................................................................................................................. 302
Santiago Chile ......................................................................................................... 303
Tokyo Japan ............................................................................................................ 303
Apia Samoa ............................................................................................................. 303
Santiago Chile.... Again ............................................................................................ 303
Salt Lake .................................................................................................................. 304
Myth #17: Posthumous Addition ................................................................................. 305
Bonus: Myth?: Angel Moroni Replaced Because of Bullet Holes .................................. 306
Chapter 7 ........................................................................................ 309
Moroni Identification Flowchart .................................................................................. 309
Timeline of Angel Placement ....................................................................................... 310
Height Comparison ..................................................................................................... 311
Quick Stats .............................................................................................................. 311
Moroni Always Faces East ............................................................................................ 312
Moroni Statues by Model ............................................................................................ 320
Construction Timeline .................................................................................................. 321
Moroni by Sculptor ...................................................................................................... 323
Cyrus Dallin ............................................................................................................. 326
Millard Malin ........................................................................................................... 326
Avard Fairbanks ...................................................................................................... 326
Torleif Knaphus ....................................................................................................... 326
Karl Quilter .............................................................................................................. 326
LaVar Wallgren ........................................................................................................ 330
Chronological by Dedication ........................................................................................ 330
Chronological by Statue placement ............................................................................. 339
Chapter 8 ........................................................................................ 344
Aba Nigeria .................................................................................................................. 345
Abidjan Ivory Coast ...................................................................................................... 346
Accra Ghana ................................................................................................................. 347
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Adelaide Australia ........................................................................................................ 348

Alabang Philippines ...................................................................................................... 349
Albuquerque New Mexico ........................................................................................... 350
Antananarivo Madagascar ........................................................................................... 351
Anchorage Alaska ......................................................................................................... 352
Antofagasta Chile ......................................................................................................... 353
Apia Samoa .................................................................................................................. 354
Arequipa Peru .............................................................................................................. 355
Asunción Paraguay ....................................................................................................... 356
Atlanta Georgia ............................................................................................................ 357
Auckland New Zealand ................................................................................................. 358
Bacolod PhilippineS ...................................................................................................... 359
Bahía Blanca Argentina ................................................................................................ 360
Bangkok Thailand ......................................................................................................... 361
Barranquilla Colombia.................................................................................................. 362
Baton Rouge Louisiana ................................................................................................. 363
Beira Mozambique ....................................................................................................... 364
Belém Brazil ................................................................................................................. 365
Belo Horizonte Brazil .................................................................................................... 366
Bengaluru India ............................................................................................................ 367
Benin City Nigeria ......................................................................................................... 368
Bentonville Arkansas .................................................................................................... 369
Bern Switzerland .......................................................................................................... 370
Billings Montana .......................................................................................................... 371
Birmingham Alabama ................................................................................................... 372
Bismarck North Dakota ................................................................................................ 373
Bogotá Colombia .......................................................................................................... 374
Boise Idaho .................................................................................................................. 375
Boston Massachusetts ................................................................................................. 376
Bountiful Utah.............................................................................................................. 377
Brasilia Brazil ................................................................................................................ 378
Brigham City Utah ........................................................................................................ 379
Brisbane Australia ........................................................................................................ 380
Brussels Belgium .......................................................................................................... 381
Budapest Hungary ........................................................................................................ 382
Buenos Aires Argentina ................................................................................................ 383
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Table of Contents
Burley Idaho ................................................................................................................. 384

Cagayan De Oro Philippines ......................................................................................... 385
Calgary Alberta............................................................................................................. 386
Cali Colombia ............................................................................................................... 387
Culiacán Mexico ........................................................................................................... 388
Campinas Brazil ............................................................................................................ 389
Caracas Venezuela ....................................................................................................... 390
Cardston Alberta .......................................................................................................... 391
Casper Wyoming .......................................................................................................... 392
Cape Town South Africa ............................................................................................... 393
Cebu City Philippines.................................................................................................... 394
Cedar City Utah ............................................................................................................ 395
Chicago Illinois ............................................................................................................. 396
Ciudad Juárez México .................................................................................................. 397
Cobán Guatemala ........................................................................................................ 398
Cochabamba Bolivia ..................................................................................................... 399
Colonia Juárez Chihuahua Mexico................................................................................ 400
Cody Wyoming ............................................................................................................. 401
Columbia River Washington ......................................................................................... 402
Columbia South Carolina .............................................................................................. 403
Columbus Ohio............................................................................................................. 404
Copenhagen Denmark ................................................................................................. 405
Concepción Chile.......................................................................................................... 406
Córdoba Argentina ....................................................................................................... 407
Curitiba Brazil ............................................................................................................... 408
Dallas Texas.................................................................................................................. 409
Davao Philippines ......................................................................................................... 410
Denver Colorado .......................................................................................................... 411
Deseret Peak Utah ....................................................................................................... 412
Detroit Michigan .......................................................................................................... 413
Draper Utah ................................................................................................................. 414
Durban South Africa ..................................................................................................... 415
Dubai United Arab Emirates......................................................................................... 416
Edmonton Alberta ........................................................................................................ 417
Elko Nevada ................................................................................................................. 418
Ephraim Utah ............................................................................................................... 419
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Farmington New Mexico .............................................................................................. 420

Feather River California ............................................................................................... 421
Fort Collins Colorado .................................................................................................... 422
Fort Lauderdale Florida ................................................................................................ 423
Fort Worth Texas ......................................................................................................... 424
Fortaleza Brazil ............................................................................................................. 425
Frankfurt Germany....................................................................................................... 426
Freetown Sierra Leone ................................................................................................. 427
Freiberg Germany ........................................................................................................ 428
Fresno California .......................................................................................................... 429
Fukuoka Japan ............................................................................................................. 430
The Gila Valley Arizona ................................................................................................ 431
Gilbert Arizona ............................................................................................................. 432
Grand Junction Colorado ............................................................................................. 433
Greater Guatemala City Guatemala ............................................................................. 434
Guadalajara Mexico ..................................................................................................... 435
Guatemala City Guatemala .......................................................................................... 436
Guayaquil Ecuador ....................................................................................................... 437
Halifax Nova Scotia ...................................................................................................... 438
Hamilton New Zealand ................................................................................................. 439
Harare Zimbabwe......................................................................................................... 440
Hartford Connecticut ................................................................................................... 441
Heber Valley Utah ........................................................................................................ 442
Helena Montana .......................................................................................................... 443
Helsinki Finland ............................................................................................................ 444
Hermosillo Sonora Mexico ........................................................................................... 445
Hong Kong China .......................................................................................................... 446
Houston Texas.............................................................................................................. 447
Idaho Falls Idaho .......................................................................................................... 448
Indianapolis Indiana ..................................................................................................... 449
Johannesburg South Africa .......................................................................................... 450
Jordan River Utah ......................................................................................................... 451
Kananga Democratic Republic of the Congo ................................................................ 452
Kansas City Missouri .................................................................................................... 453
Kaohsiung Taiwan ........................................................................................................ 454
Kinshasa Democratic Republic of the Congo ................................................................ 455
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Table of Contents
Kona Hawaii ................................................................................................................. 456

Kumasi Ghana .............................................................................................................. 457
Kyiv Ukraine ................................................................................................................. 458
Lagos Nigeria ................................................................................................................ 459
Laie Hawaii ................................................................................................................... 460
Las Vegas Nevada ......................................................................................................... 461
La Paz Bolivia ................................................................................................................ 462
Layton Utah.................................................................................................................. 463
Lima Peru Los Olivos .................................................................................................... 464
Lima Peru ..................................................................................................................... 465
Lisbon Portugal ............................................................................................................ 466
Lindon Utah ................................................................................................................. 467
Logan Utah ................................................................................................................... 468
London England ........................................................................................................... 469
Los Angeles California .................................................................................................. 470
Louisville Kentucky ....................................................................................................... 471
Lubbock Texas .............................................................................................................. 472
Lubumbashi Democratic Republic of the Congo .......................................................... 473
Madrid Spain ................................................................................................................ 474
Managua Nicaragua ..................................................................................................... 475
Manaus Brazil............................................................................................................... 476
Manhattan New York ................................................................................................... 477
Manila Philippines ........................................................................................................ 478
Manti Utah ................................................................................................................... 479
McAllen Texas .............................................................................................................. 480
Medford Oregon .......................................................................................................... 481
Melbourne Australia .................................................................................................... 482
Memphis Tennessee .................................................................................................... 483
Mendoza Argentina ..................................................................................................... 484
Mérida Mexico ............................................................................................................. 485
Meridian Idaho............................................................................................................. 486
Mendoza Argentina ..................................................................................................... 487
Mexico City Mexico ...................................................................................................... 488
Monrovia Liberia .......................................................................................................... 489
Monterrey Mexico ....................................................................................................... 490
Montevideo Uruguay ................................................................................................... 491
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Monticello Utah ........................................................................................................... 492

Montreal Quebec ......................................................................................................... 493
Moses Lake Washington .............................................................................................. 494
Mount Timpanogos Utah ............................................................................................. 495
Nairobi Kenya ............................................................................................................... 496
Nashville Tennessee ..................................................................................................... 497
Nauvoo Illinois ............................................................................................................. 498
Neiafu Tonga ................................................................................................................ 499
Newport Beach California ............................................................................................ 500
Nuku’alofa Tonga ......................................................................................................... 501
Oakland California ........................................................................................................ 502
Oaxaca Mexico ............................................................................................................. 503
Ogden Utah .................................................................................................................. 504
Okinawa Japan ............................................................................................................. 505
Oklahoma City Oklahoma ............................................................................................ 506
Oquirrh Mountain Utah ............................................................................................... 507
Orem Utah ................................................................................................................... 508
Orlando Florida ............................................................................................................ 509
Oslo Norway................................................................................................................. 510
Pago Pago American Samoa ......................................................................................... 511
Palmyra New York ........................................................................................................ 512
Panama City Panama ................................................................................................... 513
Papeete Tahiti .............................................................................................................. 514
Paris France .................................................................................................................. 515
Payson Utah ................................................................................................................. 516
Perth Australia ............................................................................................................. 517
Philadelphia Pennsylvania ............................................................................................ 518
Phnom Penh Cambodia ................................................................................................ 519
Phoenix Arizona ........................................................................................................... 520
Pittsburgh Pennsylvania ............................................................................................... 521
Pocatello Idaho ............................................................................................................ 522
Port Moresby Papau New Guinea ................................................................................ 523
Port Vila Vanuatu ......................................................................................................... 524
Port-au-Prince Haiti...................................................................................................... 525
Portland Oregon .......................................................................................................... 526
Porto Alegre Brazil ....................................................................................................... 527
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Table of Contents
Praia Cabo Verde ......................................................................................................... 528

Preston England ........................................................................................................... 529
Provo City Center ......................................................................................................... 530
Provo Utah ................................................................................................................... 531
Puebla Mexico.............................................................................................................. 532
Querétaro México ........................................................................................................ 533
Quetzaltenango Guatemala ......................................................................................... 534
Quito Ecuador .............................................................................................................. 535
Raleigh North Carolina ................................................................................................. 536
Recife Brazil.................................................................................................................. 537
Red Cliffs Utah ............................................................................................................. 538
Redlands California ...................................................................................................... 539
Regina Saskatchewan ................................................................................................... 540
Reno Nevada ................................................................................................................ 541
Rexburg Idaho .............................................................................................................. 542
Rexburg Idaho North .................................................................................................... 543
Richmond Virginia ........................................................................................................ 544
Rio de Janeiro Brazil ..................................................................................................... 545
Rome Italy .................................................................................................................... 546
Russia Temple .............................................................................................................. 547
Sacramento California .................................................................................................. 548
Salt Lake ....................................................................................................................... 549
Salta Argentina ............................................................................................................. 550
Salvador Brazil.............................................................................................................. 551
San Antonio Texas ........................................................................................................ 552
San Diego California ..................................................................................................... 553
San José Costa Rica ...................................................................................................... 554
San Juan Puerto Rico .................................................................................................... 555
San Pedro Sula Honduras ............................................................................................. 556
San Salvador El Salvador .............................................................................................. 557
Santa Cruz Bolivia......................................................................................................... 558
Santiago Chile .............................................................................................................. 559
Santiago Chile West ..................................................................................................... 560
Santo Domingo Dominican Republic ............................................................................ 561
São Paulo Brazil East .................................................................................................... 562
São Paulo Brazil ............................................................................................................ 563
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Sapporo Japan .............................................................................................................. 564

Saratoga Springs Utah .................................................................................................. 565
Seattle Washington ...................................................................................................... 566
Seoul Korea .................................................................................................................. 567
Shanghai China............................................................................................................. 568
Singapore Republic of Singapore ................................................................................. 569
Smithfield Utah ............................................................................................................ 570
Snowflake Arizona........................................................................................................ 571
Spokane Washington ................................................................................................... 572
St. George Utah ............................................................................................................ 573
St. Louis Missouri ......................................................................................................... 574
St. Paul Minnesota ....................................................................................................... 575
Star Valley Wyoming .................................................................................................... 576
Stockholm Sweden ....................................................................................................... 577
Suva Fiji ........................................................................................................................ 578
Sydney Australia........................................................................................................... 579
Syracuse Utah .............................................................................................................. 580
Tacloban City Philippines ............................................................................................. 581
Taipei Taiwan ............................................................................................................... 582
Tallahassee Florida ....................................................................................................... 583
Tampico Mexico ........................................................................................................... 584
Tarawa Kiribati ............................................................................................................. 585
Taylorsville Utah .......................................................................................................... 586
Tegucigalpa Honduras .................................................................................................. 587
The Hague Netherlands ............................................................................................... 588
Tijuana Mexico ............................................................................................................. 589
Tokyo Japan ................................................................................................................. 590
Toronto Ontario ........................................................................................................... 591
Torreón México ............................................................................................................ 592
Trujillo Peru.................................................................................................................. 593
Tucson Arizona ............................................................................................................. 594
Tuxtla Gutiérrez Mexico ............................................................................................... 595
Twin Falls Idaho ........................................................................................................... 596
Urdaneta Philippines .................................................................................................... 597
Vancouver British Columbia ......................................................................................... 598
Veracruz Mexico .......................................................................................................... 599
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Vernal Utah .................................................................................................................. 600

Vienna Austria .............................................................................................................. 601
Villahermosa Mexico .................................................................................................... 602
Vitória Brazil ................................................................................................................. 603
Washington D.C. .......................................................................................................... 604
Willamette Valley Oregon ............................................................................................ 605
Winnipeg Manitoba ..................................................................................................... 606
Winter Quarters Nebraska ........................................................................................... 607
Yigo Guam .................................................................................................................... 608
Yorba Linda California .................................................................................................. 609
Appendix 1: Sculptural Assistants .................................................... 611
Ernest Frederick Demke ............................................................................................... 631
Richard Young .............................................................................................................. 632
James Dell Morris ......................................................................................................... 632
Elbert Hindley Porter ................................................................................................... 633
Maurice Brooks ............................................................................................................ 634
Appendix 2: Other Notable Moroni Statues ..................................... 635
Hill Cumorah Moroni.................................................................................................... 636
Moroni Delivers the Plates ........................................................................................... 637
Mortal Moroni ............................................................................................................. 638
World’s Fair Moroni ..................................................................................................... 639
Cape Coast Chapel Moroni ........................................................................................... 641
Appendix 3: Moroni 201: Advanced Moroni ..................................... 642
Visits of Moroni ............................................................................................................ 642
Reality of the Man........................................................................................................ 644
Description .............................................................................................................. 644
Moroni Wanders ..................................................................................................... 645
Moroni’s Alleged Death .......................................................................................... 650
Moroni’s Name ....................................................................................................... 651
About Metal Plates ...................................................................................................... 655
On Stone Boxes ............................................................................................................ 656
Disambiguation: The Other Moroni ............................................................................. 656
Appendix 4: Angels .......................................................................... 658
What is an Angel .......................................................................................................... 658
Roles of Angels ............................................................................................................. 658
Types of Angels ....................................................................................................... 659
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Angels that appeared to Joseph Smith ......................................................................... 660

Angels in the Temples .................................................................................................. 661
Kirtland Ohio ........................................................................................................... 661
St. George Utah Temple .......................................................................................... 662
Logan Utah Temple ................................................................................................. 662
A Prophesied Angel ...................................................................................................... 663
Appendix 5: Date Sources ................................................................ 665
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Chapter 1| Moroni 101: Who Was Moroni
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Who was Moroni? A general, a historian, a son, a prophet1 and an angel

of glory.
Moroni lived on the American Continent A.D. 385-421.
As a general, he led the last army of his people in a desperate fight for
survival in a fight against an overwhelming hostile force. The inevitable
loss against a force that outnumbered his thousands to one led to the
destruction of his entire nation.
As a historian, he recorded the downfall of his people. This Commission

was given to him by his father and handed down from generation to
generation for over a thousand years
As a son, he watched his father lead their people as the war began. He
watched his father fight the same fight that would become his
responsibility. He watched as his father fell, a victim of wounds from
earlier battles.
As a prophet, he wandered alone through the ruins of what had

formerly been a great nation, pursued by the Lamanites, those who had
destroyed his friends, family, and nation. He hid and watched over the
records of his people. In his efforts to continue and complete his
Father’s work, he compiled and annotated his people’s records, helping
to condense them down to a single book. Returning to the hidden
records periodically to add more information,2 he would ultimately add
ten chapters of his own. To supplement his words, he also included
some of the teachings of his father.3 He abridged in the twenty-four gold
plates of the Jaredite people, an older and larger nation than his, which
had suffered a similar fate.4
All this he did, not for his own people, now gone, but for us - for future
generations that would need the records he protected. He would hide
the record away, under direction from the Lord. He persevered in the
knowledge that his struggles had purpose.
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The angel Moroni
delivering the plates of
the Book of Mormon to
Joseph Smith C.C.A.
Christensen
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Even until the end of his writings, he continually testified of Jesus Christ.5
In his final farewell message, he indicated that he would soon "rest in
the paradise of God." He then ended with his testimony and nothing
more is heard from him.6
As an angel, he would bring the news of the ancient record to Joseph

Smith. The ancient record, created partially by his own hand, containing
the fullness of the gospel of Jesus Christ. According to the Lord, Moroni
is the Angel John foresaw restoring the fullness of the Gospel in
Revelation 14:6-77:
“And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having

the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the
earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and
people, saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to
him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him
that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains
of waters.”
Wilford Woodruff commissioned Cyrus Dallin to design a statue for the

pinnacle of the Salt Lake Temple. This new statue was placed facing, the
so that it faced visitors approaching the front of the temple. This facing
has come in the minds of many to symbolize the future coming of the
Savior as described in Mathew 24:30-31:
“And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven:
and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall
see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power
and great glory. And he shall send his angels with a great
sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect
from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.”
As the angel that brought the plates to Joseph Smith and consequently
the restored gospel to the world, is it any wonder that Moroni would
eventually become a symbol for temples belonging to the Church?
P a g e | 23
Know Your Moroni
Hill Cumorah Monument

Palmyra, New York (1935)
(photo by Brian Olson)
24 | P a g e
As a symbol, The Angel Moroni statue now has taken many meanings.
As Moroni, he is one of the primary agents of the restoration. With the
trumpet, he proclaims the restoration of the Gospel to all the world. His
proclamation of the Savior’s return is symbolized by his eastward
orientation. His angelic nature is a reminder of the importance of Man’s
contact with divine beings. His presence on many temples in many lands
reminds of the universal nature of the gospel. To some, even his gilding
is a reminder of the Gold Plates from which the Book of Mormon was
translated.
“The Angel Moroni statue, which appears on the top of several

of our temples, is a reminder to us that God is concerned for
all his people throughout the world and communicates with
them wherever they may be,”
-Thomas S. Monson8
1 Moroni 1:1, The Book of Mormon. 2000. Salt Lake City: The Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints.
2 Mormon 8:4, The Book of Mormon; Moroni 1:1, The Book of Mormon
3 Moroni 1:4, The Book of Mormon; Moroni 10:1, The Book of Mormon
4 Ether 1:1-2, The Book of Mormon
5 Mormon 9:5-6, The Book of Mormon
6 Moroni 10:34, The Book of Mormon
7 133:36-37, The Doctrine and Covenants. 2000. Salt Lake City: The Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints.
8 “Angel Moroni Statue Placed on Spire of Washington Temple.” Ensign, July 1973.
P a g e | 25
Know Your Moroni
26 | P a g e
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Did you know that before there were ever Angel Moroni statues, there
were weather vanes? Weather vanes had been in use for millennia. They
can be traced back at least as far as Athens, 48 years prior to the Birth of
Christ.1 Starting out as a simple directional indicator, eventually weather
vanes would become ornate, and, in some cases, even become a type of
symbol themselves. For example, by Papal decree, in the ninth century a
rooster was added to every church weather vane as a reminder of the
story of Peter denying Christ, and the cock crowing thereafter. 2
In the United States weather vanes became a necessity in agricultural

communities and seafaring communities alike. It would become a
tradition to decorate such vanes with fish, cows, buggies, furniture, or
horses.3 Churches in the United States and Europe alike would adopt an
angel with a trumpet as, representative of the angel Gabriel, as a
symbolic weather vane. Such a common symbol would eventually
contribute to the common misunderstanding among those not members
of the Church that the statue on top of L.D.S. Temples also represents
the Angel Gabriel, rather than the Angel Moroni.
Combining a functional weather indicator for the community and a

lightning rod, weather vanes were in fashion at the time of the
restoration. It was common to see these architectural elements on
religious and civil structures alike. As such, it would be a natural choice
for the members of the Early Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
when deciding what to decorate the most holy of structures within the
Church with.
The first temple of the Restored Church, dedicated in 1836, was in

Kirtland, Ohio. The temple was three stories, (not including the
basement) covered in sparkling stucco and stood at the top of the south
ridge of a river valley. On top of the single tower an arrow weather vane
turned with the wind.
P a g e | 27
Original Kirtland Temple Kirtland Temple
K n o w Y o u r M otoday
roni
Brigham’s
Plan for
Early Salt Lake
Weathervane
design for Salt
Lake Temple
Short Tower of the

original St. George
Temple Current St.
George
tower
28 | P a g e
Chapter2| Statues
After the Church relocated to Utah, the first temples built in their new
home would also have weather vanes, the design, like Kirtland, had the
form of an arrow. The Saint George Temple had one on its original short
tower. Its newer, taller tower does as well.
The Logan Temple has two towers, one at each end. Both towers have a
weather vane at their peak. The Vanes have been gilded, and in later
years, have been fixed in place permanently, one pointing North, the
other pointing South.
They were even considered for the Salt Lake Temple. Early drawings of
the Salt Lake Temple design feature two weather vanes. These vanes
took the form of a flying figure, an angel, lying horizontal and holding a
book. There were plans to have one each on the tops of the east and
west central towers.
It was not until the fifth temple constructed in Manti, Utah that the
saints would break with the tradition. This temple has neither weather
vane nor statue.
But the most famous temple weather vane, the most unique, and the
one that provided the inspiration for the early weather vanes planned
for Salt Lake, has to be the one from Nauvoo Illinois.
The second temple of the Church featured a weather vane as well. Like
churches throughout Europe and the United States before it, the
weather vane was in the figure of an angel with a trumpet, a symbol that
would evolve into a modern-day symbol of the Church.
P a g e | 29
Know Your Moroni
Manti Temple, 1888
1
Roe, Frederick Robert 1920-. Angels: Moroni and his associates / Fred Roe [Bountiful,
Utah]: The Author, 1992 May 1992 printing, (accessed: August 12, 2019)
2
Ibid
3
Ibid
Original design of the

Logan Utah Temple, with
its dual weathervanes
30 | P a g e
Chapter2| Statues
SCULPTOR PLACED CURRENTLY ON

Nauvoo Tinner’s 30 January 1846 0 Temple(s)
Association
LENGTH
MATERIAL 5 feet
Tin (1.5 Meters)
The First Angel, placed on the Original Nauvoo Temple, was actually a
five-foot-long weather vane.1 Sculpted in tin and formed as a three-
dimensional figure, it was fashioned in the likeness of a man. The
completed weather vane was then covered in gold.2 The figure was
laying horizontal, as if flying. Rather than being specifically given a name,
such as Moroni or the more historically common Gabriel, this flying
figure was a representation of the angel described in Revelation 14:6. A
revelation linking Moroni with the angel of the book of revelation had
already been given and known to the Church in 1831, just over 12 years
earlier, however the later development of the Statue on the Salt Lake
Temple would indicate that this weathervane may have been intended
to follow the Gabriel tradition.
Early drawings of the Nauvoo Temple by the Temple’s architect, William

Weeks don’t show the weathervane, but they also showed a temple
without an attic story, and a much different spire.
Sometime after the temple was designed, William would draw a detailed
design for a flying angel with a trumpet. It is not known if this idea was
original to Weeks, or a request from President Smith.
The ball under the weathervane, as well as the rod the angel would pivot
around were placed on 10 September 1845.3 The Angel itself was placed
on 30 January 1846 at 9 AM, just 4 months before the temple was
dedicated.4
P a g e | 31
Know Your Moroni
Two views of the

Nauvoo Angel Weathervane
(1846-1848)
32 | P a g e
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There are many accounts attesting to either the inclusion of the weather
vane on the spire, or its actual placement.
A reporter for the Cincinnati Times related the account of a visitor to

the temple in 1846, in which they described the glittering Angel with
trumpet in hand.5
Thomas L. Kane visited Nauvoo shortly after the exodus of the Saints. He
praised their fortitude in remaining long enough to finish the temple,
including, as he said, "even gilding the angel and trumpet on the summit
of its lofty spire."6
The son of the Prophet, Joseph Smith III noted the weathervane in his
writing. He wrote of watching the construction of the temple from its
beginnings to "the gilded angel with his brave trumpet in his hand, that
swung on the top the spire."7
One Pioneer, Perregrine Sessions wrote of the placement of the spire in

his journal:
"On this day they raised the feign [sic] which is the
representation of the angel in his priestly robes with a Book of
Mormon in one hand and a trumpet in the other which is
overlaid with gold leaf." 8
While Angel weathervanes were nothing new, being found on buildings

all over the world, this new weathervane would bear features distinct to
the Latter-day Saint beliefs.
The angel held a book aloft in one hand above his person. In the other
hand he held a horn to his mouth, representing the gospel being
declared “as with the voice of a trumpet,” as stated in Doctrine and
Covenants 24:12.
The figure was dressed in priestly robes and a rounded bonnet, with
bare feet. The attire is not unlike that worn by the Temple priests in
ancient Jerusalem.
P a g e | 33
Know Your Moroni
34 | P a g e
Chapter2| Statues
Above the Angel was the symbol of the square and compass, along with
a stylized flame of fire.9 There are many theories as to why the Compass
and square are included on the statue, though no official account exists.
Some of these theories focus around the compass representing the
heavens, and the square representing the four corners of the earth, the
two together representing the preaching of the gospel to the whole
earth.
The flame above the compass and the square possibly represents the
Holy Ghost, based on representations like the one in Acts2:3-4
And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire,

and it sat upon each of them.
And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to
speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
Speculation has been made by many as to the eventual fate of the

weathervane. Many theories abound, including one, talked about in a
later chapter that the angel ended up in Cincinnati. Theories have
included that it was sold, along with the furniture and paintings from the
temple, to pay for the trek west.
It has also been suggested that the vane was damaged by a lightning
strike in September of 1846.
Most theories focus upon reports that the Angel was removed from the
temple late September through early October of 1846. Thomas Bullock
was driven from Nauvoo on September 20th. In his journal he recorded a
conversation with Benjamin Baker, who reported the news that the
Angel had been removed by the mob the previous Friday.10 This places
the removal either September 25th or October 2nd.
Another visitor to the temple sometime in the fall of 1846 reports the
Angel as having been stored inside the tower.11
P a g e | 35
Know Your Moroni
As mentioned previously, Thomas L. Kane visited the temple in early
October, and in his report the Angel is on the steeple.
This proposes 2 possible scenarios.
• The first, is that Kane visited the temple on October first, and
the Angel was removed on October second.
• The second scenario is that Thomas Kane visited in later
October. This would require that the Angel was removed on
either 25 September or the second of October, and had been
placed back on the temple by the time of Thomas Kane's visit.
That the Angel was returned is a matter of record. Thomas Bullock

reports seeing the Angel on October 8, and that it was “all safe.” While it
is possible that Bullock saw the angel safe in the tower, An Illinois
Journal of 9 December 1853 recounted one individual’s summer visit to
the temple some years before. The narrator describes the damage done
by the mob and subsequent visitors to the temple, placing the visit
either in the summer of 1847 or the summer of 1848.12 Among all the
details described by the writer is that “a tin, gilded angel atop the tower,
“holding in one hand a trumpet, and in the other a book.” 13
The theory most supported as to the eventual fate of the Angel is that
the fire of 1848 that destroyed the tower, and all of the temple except
for the stone walls, was also responsible for the destruction of the
weather vane.
1
Brown, Lisle. “Exterior Description of The Nauvoo Temple.” Nauvoo Temple Exterior
Description, Mar. 1999.
2
Perrigrine Sessions reminiscences and diaries, 1839-1886; Journal typescript, 1845-1886;
Church History Library, (accessed: August 12, 2019)
3
36 | P a g e
Chapter2| Statues
4
Historical Department journal history of the Church, 1896-2001 July; 1840-1849; 1846
January-July; Church History Library, (accessed: August 12, 2019); Women’s Exponent XII,
No. 11, (1 November 1883), p. 81.
5 Deseret News, 7 March 1876, citing an article from Cincinnati News, no date
6 Thomas L. Kane, “The Mormons, A discourse” (Philadelphia, Pa.), The Historical Society of
Pennsylvania, King Bairs Printers, 1850.

7 Mary Andentia Smith Andersen, ed., Joseph Smith and the Restoration, (Independence,
Mo: Herald House, 1952), pp. 100-101.

8 Perrigrine Sessions reminiscences and diaries, 1839-1886; Journal typescript, 1845-1886;
Church History Library, (accessed: August 12, 2019)

9 Lisle Brown, “Nauvoo Temple Exterior Symbolism,” marshall.edu, March 1999
10 Illinois Journal, 9 December 1853, as republished in the Journal of the Illinois State
Historical Society 38 (1945): 484.

11 J. M. Davidson, editor of the Carthage Republican, 25 February 1864, as cited in E. Cecil
McGavin, The Nauvoo Temple (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1962), 93–95; also, “The Old
Temple,” Nauvoo Independent 7,no. 9 (20 December 1889): 7.
12 Don F. Colvin, “Nauvoo Temple: A Story of Faith > 11. The Fate of the Temple,”
rsc.byu.edu, 2002.
13 Illinois Journal, 9 December 1853, as republished in the Journal of the Illinois State
Historical Society 38
(1945): 484.
P a g e | 37
Know Your Moroni
38 | P a g e
Chapter2| Statues
There is a division between what constitutes a sculpture, and what is

considered a statue. Any three-dimensional artwork is a sculpture, but in
order to be considered a statue it must be a full figure sculpture of a
person. It must also be life-size or larger. If it is full figure but small
enough to carry, it is called a statuette or figurine.1 If the statue is more
than twice life size it qualifies as a “colossal statue.”2 Under that
definition, a few of these statues do classify as ‘colossal.’
There are two methods typically used creation of a statue. These two
methods are called carving and sculpting.
Carving is a subtractive method. In carving, the sculptor starts with a

large mass of solid material, like a block of marble or a large piece of
wood. In the creation of their desired form, they scrape away material to
create their work of art. The final creation is smaller than the original
bounding space of the medium the artist began with.
Opposite to carving, sculpting is an ad dative method of creation. This

method consists primarily of starting with material, and adding more to
it to create the desired shape. Some carving is usually involved in the
process of shaping. This method traditionally produces a sculpture that
is larger than the base material you started with.
All of the Statues currently in use on the temples were produced

through this second, additive method, being sculpted rather than
carved.
This chapter will discuss the history of the use of the statues. Included in
this we will examine what came before and how the statues came to be.
P a g e | 39
Mount Timpanogos Utah
Temple, 2005, Brian Olson
Know Your Moroni
40 | P a g e
Chapter2| Statues
We will look at the history of each statue, including how and why each
was sculpted. In turn we will look at how the statues became a tradition.
In this chapter we will list the various statues in use on the modern-day
temples. we will talk about the history, the creation, and the form of
each of the different statue models. This book lists more models of
statue than prior publications. A new model is defined when one of the
following two criteria is met:
The statue has a different sculptor than preceding versions.
The statue has a different pose from its predecessors.
For inclusion in this book, it must also reach one last criteria:
It must be a statue, not a sculpture.
Now let’s discuss the criteria.
Anytime a sculpture is created by a new artist, it will be counted as a

new statue version. Most of the time these changes are obvious, but it is
not uncommon for other articles to attribute a statue or two to the
wrong artist.
We will not be focusing much, if at all, on assistant sculptors for any of

the versions. Often, research does not turn up any indication as to who,
if anyone, may have assisted in a sculpture. When it is known, the
assistant will always be noted.
Anytime a sculpture is created by a new artist, it will be counted as a

new statue version. We will not be including assistant sculptors for any
of the versions. This is because for most of the statues it is not known if
there was an assistant involved or not. In those cases where the sculptor
stays the same, the new version always meets the second criteria:
P a g e | 41
Know Your Moroni
Changes in pose are not always immediately apparent, but in each of the
statues we will talk about the differences between it and other models.
Once the differences have been pointed out, it becomes fairly easy to
pick out the different statues when you visit a temple.t always
immediately apparent, but in each of the statues we talk about the
differences between it and other variations will be pointed out and the
reason for indicating a new version will quickly become obvious.
As mentioned earlier, the statue must be life size or larger. Each time a
new statue is commissioned, smaller statues are made by the artist to
get the design right to begin with. We will not be covering most of these
smaller sculptures.
In the following pages we will discuss the history of the creation and use
of the statues. Included in this we will examine what came before and
how the statues came to be. We will look at the history of each
individual model, including how and why each was sculpted. In following
chapters, we will look at how the statues became a tradition.
There is one statue that is not being counted as a separate model or

version. In this case the statue has the same sculptor as its immediate
predecessor, and it has the same pose, it is what is known as a re-scale.
While looking identical, it is 3 feet shorter than the original of the same
version. While the re-scale was a new sculpture by the original artist, it
was also a very pain-staking and faithful reproduction of the larger,
preceding statue. For this reason, it is considered as being the same
statue as the larger original.
1
“Statue,” Wikipedia.
2
Collins online dictionary: Colossal “2. (in figure sculpture) approximately twice life-size.”;
entry in the Getty Art & Architecture Thesaurus® Online
42 | P a g e
Chapter2| Statues
COMMISSIONED HEIGHT
19 August 1891 12’ 5.5” (3.8 Meters)
MATERIAL WEIGHT
Hammered Copper 1,500 lbs. (680.4
covered in 22-karat kilograms)
gold leaf
CURRENTLY ON
1 Temple(s)
An early sketch by William Ward, assistant Architect to Truman O. Angel,

shows a likeness of the temple as was planned by Angell and Presidents
Brigham Young. While easily recognizable as the Salt Lake Temple there
are a few differences between it and the temple as it was finally built.
This early drawing shows the spires as metal clad steeples. Atop the
center east and center west spires are weathervanes similar to the one
placed atop the Nauvoo Temple. But while weather vanes were still in
fashion when construction of the temple began, fashions do change.
Joseph Don Carlos Young became Church architect after Truman Angell’s
death in 1887. Brigham Young had passed ten years before in 1877.
Plans for the Salt Lake Temple were undergoing major changes. Among
these were new plans drawn up in 1889 by Don Carlos for the spire.
Gone were the shinning tin spires of Brigham and Truman’s original
ideas. The new spires were constructed out of granite block. Part of this
change was to allow for the placement of a Statue, rather than the
weathervanes of Truman Angels design.
It was President Wilford Woodruff who in 1891 approached Cyrus Dallin

with a commission. President Woodruff had sat several hours for a bust
of himself that had been done by Dallin,1 and was impressed with his
ability.2 He asked Dallin if he would be willing to sculpt an angel for the
top of the Salt Lake Temple. The request was for a single standing statue
more in the modern style, and only one, for the East center spire of the
temple. President Woodruff makes no mention of the Commission or
P a g e | 43
Know Your Moroni
Maquette of Dallin Statue,

Church History Library,
Two Views of the Salt Lake

Temple Statue (right and
below)
44 | P a g e
Chapter2| Statues
request in his journals, He does, however, make mention of one day

when, after sitting a couple of hours for his bust, he drove out to his
farm in the company of Mr. Dallin. Unfortunately, that is all he mentions
of the event, but one can imagine the venerable President of the Church
taking the opportunity of a leisurely drive in a carriage to talk to the
young sculptor about plans for the temple spire.
Many articles and authors have related the story, often with differing
stories as to how the conversation went. There is no contemporary
source for how the event came about, but there are plenty of stories.
And occasionally they even agree. Putting all of the (unverifiable) stories
together, the event came about something like this:
Dallin, then a young man, was troubled by the request. He was

concerned in not having a proper “pattern” to work from.3 He felt that,
perhaps, such a sculpture should be undertaken by someone of a more
serious and spiritual nature.4 While he felt himself an able artist, he did
not feel certain he was a good fit for this project.5
Dallin met with President Woodruff, who explained about the soon to be
completed temple, how it would be a light to the nation- to the whole
world.6 He told Dallin all about the plans for the east center spire of the
temple, and what they hoped to place there.7
Upon hearing of the job, and receiving the request, Dallin declined,
saying he had no pattern of an angle to work from, and that he never
worked without a pattern.8 He further more declared he did not believe
in angels,9 and new there was no such thing.
President Woodruff, not willing to take no for an answer, suggested he

should go home and discuss it with his mother. Meanwhile, he said, they
could all pray about it, after which he was certain Dallin would choose
right,10 that Cyrus would come back and take the job.11 But Cyrus said he
didn’t believe in prayer either12 and that he would not take the job.
Upon returning home via the train, he was met at the station by his
mother, Jane Hamer Dallin. She was, apparently, concerned for his
safety on the trip, he being only nineteen13 (though he had already
traveled by himself to Paris and New York for school.) She was also
anxious to ensure that he had, in fact, taken the job.14
P a g e | 45
Know Your Moroni
Dallin, frustrated over the event, then told his mother all about the
discussion with President Woodruff, the outcome and all that they had
said.15 He related to her all his concerns over the project. He had no
pattern to work from. Surely such a subject for a sculpture should be
undertaken by someone of a more serious nature.16 He was an able
artist, to be sure, but he was by no means certain he was a good fit.17 He
did not even believe in angels, after all.
She replied “Why do you say that? I do not believe it. You call me your
‘angel mother.’”18
” Dear Mother,” he said,” what should I do? Do you sincerely think that I
am spiritually qualified to do this angel statue?”19
After a moment’s thought she replied “Cyrus, I am convinced —

absolutely sure, that you should make the angel statue.”20
It was then that Dallin realized that he had a “pattern” for the statue
after all, in the in the form of his angel mother.21 Or so the story goes.
Of course, we do know that Dallin did, whether immediately or after

some discussion with the Prophet and then his Mother, accept the
commission. But sadly, historical records do not either confirm or refute
most of the story as it is often related.
By 21 July of 1891 Dallin had submitted drawings for a freestanding

angel statue, and the plan, along with plans by Don Carlos Young for
spire toppers for the other 5 spires were accepted by the first Presidency
on 19 August of the same year.22
Dallin first sculpted a small working model of the statue, commonly

called a maquette (pronounced mah-ket.) Dallin’s workshop was a room
at the Gardo House, a mansion originally built for Brigham Young, which
had become Church offices. This plaster model was finished 4 October
1891 and was exhibited at the Salt Lake Fair. At least 2 maquettes were
made. One of these has been gold leafed and is on display in the Church
History Library. The other of these is still plaster and has been used to
model at least one other recreation of the Salt Lake statue. This all-
plaster model is currently in a vault in the Salt Lake Temple.
A full- size statue was next made from the original maquette. The statue
was shipped to W. H. Mullins of Salem Ohio. There a mold was made of
46 | P a g e
Chapter2| Statues
the full-size statue. Molten iron was poured into this mold, and the iron
image was used to hammer copper sheets into the shape of the final
statue. The trumpet was formed as a separate piece, to be added later.23
Once the statue was finished it was covered in 22 caret gold leaf, and
returned to Salt Lake.
The inclusion of the heavy statue and capstone atop the temple spire
meant that a method would be needed to ensure they remained firm
atop the spire in the face of winds, tempest and earthquake. Due to the
size and weight of the statue, combined with the method used to place
the stonework of the temple, there was a concern that the statue could
break the stone apart should it be allowed to sway around.24 Modern use
of welded steel infrastructure were still a few years away, so to make
this possible, a one-of-a-kind suspension system was created. The statue
is not mounted directly to the sphere, but instead sits on a curved plate,
also gilded, that rests on the ball. The plate matches the curve and shape
of the sphere. A steel rod, 1 ¼ inches in diameter, attaches to the plate,
and runs down through the center of the sphere. The sphere is two
pieces, split along the horizontal axis of the ball. It is hollow and the
space within contains one of a pair of time capsules placed in the temple
(The other being down in the foundation.) From the sphere the rod
continues down further into the open center of the spire. Two more rods
are connected to the bottom of the first. These new rods run diagonally
away from each other inches away from the sloped interior of the spire
pyramid.
Lower down, levers are lodged into the stone walls of the temple spire,
where the stone acts as a fulcrum at the levers end. The 2 diagonal rods
connect to these levers near their fulcrums. The weight of the statue
causes these levers to pull up as the statue’s weight causes it to want to
shift and move, and potentially topple over the side of the sphere.
However, each of these 2 levers are connected at the opposite end, in
the center of the spire, to a single weight that pulls the levers down. As
the levers are pulled back down, they pull down on their connecting
rods, which in turn pull down on the single rod attached to the statue.
This keeps the statue not only upright, but firmly pressed to the granite
sphere.
P a g e | 47
Know Your Moroni
The statue and counter

balance system of the Salt
Lake Temple east spire.
48 | P a g e
Chapter2| Statues
Photos taken by the Deseret News in 195225 show an interesting

addition to the tradition description of the anchoring system. In 1952
scaffolding was erected around the spire so that the statue could be
cleaned, repaired, and re-leafed. On 30 June of 1952, a Deseret News
Photographer joined workers on the scaffolding and took several up-
close photos of the process. These photos show that at some point,
either during the original placement or later on, bolts had been driven
through the curved disc into the granite sphere to assist with anchoring
the statue. It is not known if these were part of the original system or
added later. The photos also show large plates had been wrapped
around the statues ankles and riveted into place. These plates were not
part of the statue originally and are not on the statue now. It is possible
that these ankle plates, as well as the anchoring bolts into the sphere
were added later. They may have been made necessary due to naturally
occurring weathering. It is also possible that either or both of these were
added as part of the repairs needed after a bombing at the Hotel Utah
Construction site in the early nineteen hundreds. (Discussed later in the
book.)
Just 5 months after the completion of the initial maquette, the full-sized
finished statue assumed its place. On 6 April 1892 the capstone of the
Temple was placed upon the spire at 12:15 p.m.. 40,000 people
crammed onto temple square, thousands more filled the streets and
watched on as an electric winch was used to lower the stone into place.
Later that afternoon the Angel statue was lowered into position atop the
capstone and workers inside the spire connected the counter weight
system, firmly anchoring it place.
President Woodruff asked Cyrus Dallin, in attendance at the ceremony,

“Now Dallin, do you believe in angels?” After some thought, Dallin
replied “Yes, I believe in angels because my mother is an angel.”26
During the 1920’s Dallin stopped by Temple square on a visit in Salt Lake.
While there he ran into an old friend of his, Elder Levi Edgar Young, then
serving as a member of the first council of the Seventy and as president
of the Temple Square mission. The two of them were sitting on the curb
surrounding the seagull monument in front of the Assembly Hall. While
gazing up at the Moroni on the temple spire Dallin told his friend “I
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consider that my angel Moroni brought me nearer to God than anything

I ever did. It seemed to me that I came to know what it means to
commune with angels from heaven.”27
Like the Nauvoo weather vane before it, Dallin’s statue wears robes, this
time in layers, and a cap on its head. It holds a trumpet in the right hand
and the right arm raises it skyward in proclamation. The left arm is at the
statue’s side, both it and the left fist tense. Unlike the Nauvoo weather
vane, the 12-foot 5-inch statue stands, always facing eastward, on a
massive granite sphere 3 feet 8 inches in diameter.28
When the temple was originally completed, it was lit using spotlights, as
a modern-day temple, plus the addition of lights in the spire toppers.
Curved arms coming out of the pinnacle decorations had electric
lightbulbs in a kind of upside-down chandelier. In the case of the east
central spire, the Angel Moroni statue had a curved pole, in the shape of
an upside-down “J”, coming directly out of the top of his head. An
electric light in the end of the pole light the face and front of the
statue.29
The statue itself has a cable attached to the feet that runs down the
outside, grounding it and turning the whole of the statue into a lightning
rod for the temple.30
While the Angel Moroni statue was a departure from the angel
weathervane that had been on the Nauvoo Temple, it was not such a
great departure from the fashion of the time. In the Church history
library can be found a set of photos taken at WH Mullins Co in Salem
Ohio from the time period of the creation of the full-size angel
statue.31There are many interesting photos in this catalog entry,
including one of a young Cyrus Dallin himself standing next to his
creation. Also included in the set are photos of WH Mullins himself, as
well as many other projects being created in his foundry at that time.
In one of these photos, taken outside the shop, shoes many other
statues created at the foundry. In this set can be seen two copies of
winged angel, dressed in classically draped robes, and holding a trumpet
in the right hand. Another photo from the set, shows a figure in a belted
50 | P a g e
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robe, more similar to modern angel Moroni statues, and holding a

trumpet with both hands. This figure has no wings and except for long
curly hair and a two-handed trumpet hold would not look amiss atop
almost any temple. The design of Dallin’s Moroni would then appear to
be influenced by the styles of the day.
On 7 April 2019, during the closing remarks for General Conference,

President Russell M. Nelson announced pending renovations for the
“pioneer temples,” in an effort to preserve what had been built at great
cost and sacrifice.32 Shortly after the announcement, in a press
conference, the full details of the plan for the Salt Lake Temple
renovation were discussed in a press conference.33 The temple would
undergo an extensive seismic refit, with the inclusion of mass
dampeners under the original structure capable of helping it withstand a
7.2 earthquake. The placement of the system would require removal of
the mostly underground temple annex, completed in 1964, and
replacement with a newer, reconfigured annex. Upgrades to mechanical
and support systems, furnishings and finishes would be included.
It was originally planned that the Statue would be removed near the end
of the renovation, at which point it would be refurbished. However, a
5.2 earthquake on 18 March of 2020 changed the renovation plans.
Many of the spires atop the temple’s six towers shifted and moved in the
quake. The trumpet in the hands of the Angel was lofted from his grasp,
and landed in the parapets below, becoming badly mangled. The
decision was made to move the spire and statue removals up in the
schedule, and so, on 18 May 2020 the statue and the granite sphere
beneath it, weighing in at 3,800 pounds total, came off the spire for the
first time since it was placed 128 years prior.34
Just a few days after the removal, the capstone was opened to get at the
time capsule, known to be inside. The statue had already been separated
from the Large quartz monzonite sphere, and it was hoped that the two
halves of the ball could be popped apart fairly easily to get at what was
placed inside on 2 April 1892.
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Two statues photographed at M. H. Mullins foundry

during the casting of the Salt Lake Temple statue.
52 | P a g e
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Those hopes were quickly dashed as the sphere resisted all attempts to
open it. As it would turn out, the builders of the temple felt it necessary
to fill the sphere with concrete to protect the time capsule within, and
presumably, further anchor the statue.
In the end, opening the sphere necessitated cutting open, and breaking
into bits, the upper dome of the two-part spire topper. The upper half of
the was completely rendered useless.35
It turns out there was little inside the sphere to salvage. The Concrete, as
it cured, released its moisture into the contents of the four-part capsule.
Portions of the collected items had been placed at each of the four
cardinal points. Many of the items were still wet, though more likely
from the local elements and the recent winter, when they were
removed. Over time, the photos and books had essentially been glued
together from decades of moisture.
The stone contained a copy of the Holy Bible, Book of Mormon (likely an
1880s or 1890s edition,) Doctrine and Covenants, Parley P. Pratt’s A
Voice of Warning, Parley P. Pratt’s Key to Theology, Hymn Book,
Compendium, Pearl of Great Price, The Martyrs: A Sketch of the Lives
and a Full Account of the Martyrdom of Joseph and Hyrum Smith and 3
other books.
A stack of “Cabinet Cards,” photos placed on a backing card for easier

handling, were also in the stone, including photographs of Joseph and
Hyrum Smith, Brigham Young, John Taylor, Wilford Woodruff, George Q.
Cannon, and Joseph F. Smith, a photograph of the Temple as it appeared
at the time. While the photographs themselves are beyond preservation,
as they were likely C. R. Savage photos, the originals are already to be
had in the Church History Library. As of the writing of this, work was still
being done to identify exactly which photos were in the Capsule.
Additionally, an engraved tablet of copper setting forth the principal

dates in the history of the building and featuring the names of the
general authorities of the Church as they stood April 6, 1853, and as
constituted at the time of the capstone ceremony, April 6, 1892 was
contained in the stone.
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Most surprising was the inclusion of coins, dollar bills and notes that had
been placed in the stone prior to it being sealed. Some of the coins
featured names of individuals or families inscribed upon them.
Tradition over the creation of the statue holds that it was Dallin who
chose the Angel Moroni as his inspiration for the statue atop the Salt
Lake Temple. The first edition of this book is guilty of spreading this
story.
By some accounts, the first person to name the statues Moroni was
Wilford Woodruff himself. In August 1891, President Woodruff asked
Dallin to make a ‘statue representing the angel Moroni for the east
spire.”36 This would seem to indicate that it was the Prophet who chose
the identity of the statue, should the statement prove true.
That Woodruff chose the identity of the angel statue is supported by a

letter Dallin wrote to Gallen S. Young, dated 30 July 1938. In the letter
Dallin said that he had been commissioned to sculpt a statue “of the
Mormon Angel Moroni.”37 This would indicate that the identity of the
angel had been chosen even before the artist was selected for the work.
There are accounts of the placement of the angel where it was referred
to as “The Angel of Revelation,” and another where it was referred to as
the “Angel Gabriel”. A Deseret News article about the placement refers
to the Statue as Moroni, as have all official records since. This as well
would indicate that the identity of the statue was known as Moroni at
the time of its placement, if not so widely known as now.
For years there have been no actual details about how and when the
identity of the statue came to be, but that changed in August 2020. At
that time, Church Historian Emily Utt gave an interview to the Deseret
News in which she gave further details on the history of the Statues
Identity.38
According to Utt in the interview, many of Dallin’s early sketches are

labeled ‘Gabriel.’ This would indicate that, at least in Dallin’s mind, the
statue was clearly intended to be Gabriel, like similar statues and
weather vanes across the country. That notion most likely changed
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during a visit Church Leaders made to Dallin in his Studio as he was

working on the statue.
“One of the Apostles,” Utt said, “says, we should call him Moroni.’ And
within about a week, it was no longer being called Gabriel. It was being
called Moroni”.
There is no evidence, according to Utt, as to why they statue should

need to be Moroni, but indications are that it was Moroni ever after.
That the Deseret News called it such during its placement would further
support this point of view.
It was Dallin’s statue then that linked the angel from the book of
revelation with the prophet Moroni in the minds of the members of the
church. However, it was not the start of the tradition of an angel on
nearly every temple.
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Cap
Dallin chose to sculpt Moroni wearing a cap
with a short brim. From the front it can be
seen sticking up above his hair. From the
back it is more visible by the hair sticking
out around the edges of the cap.
Bare Arms
This first Angel Moroni has bare arms. Most
of the statues to come after would feature at
least short sleeves
Cape
In addition to having robes, Dallin’s Moroni
has a short cloak with arm holes. This gives
a more layered look to the robe than most
other Moroni Statues have.
Granite Sphere
The Salt Lake Angel stands on a granite
sphere that is significantly wider than
main body of the statue. All later statues
would have much narrower spheres. The
Philadelphia Temple now features a
statue on a granite sphere, but it is much
narrower in comparison. Additionally, the
Salt Lake sphere is topped with a curved
gold cap that the Angel stands directly on.
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1 Wilford Woodruff journals and papers, 1828-1898; Wilford Woodruff journals, 1833-1898;
Wilford Woodruff journal, 1886 January-1892 December; Church History Library, (accessed:
August 12, 2019)
2
Florence S. and Jack Sears, “How We Got the Angel Moroni Statue,” Instructor 88 (October
1953): 292
3
Joh H. Haslem’s Journal, boydhouse.com he recounts a story related by Cyrus E. Dallen [sic]
at the funeral of his uncle, George Bennett. According to this story, Dallin, in need of money
for he and his wife, was summoned to Salt Lake by the President. Though Cyrus did not
know the reason, his mother did, and cautioned him to be open minded and take the Job. In
this accounting, Dallin declined both because he had no “pattern” to base the statue on,
and he “didn’t believe in angels and he knew there was no such thing.” This story recounts
that the President encouraged him to go home, and that they “all pray about it,” he being
certain Cyrus would change his mind. This accounting includes the statement of Cyrus’s
mother, “I don’t believe it. You called me your angel mother many times.” Cyrus then got
the idea to use his mother as the pattern, and would later apologize for it being feminine.
4
Sears
5
Sears
6
Sears
7
Sears
8
Haslem
9
Francis, Rell Gardner 1928-2008. Cyrus E. Dallin: let justice be done / Rell G. Gardner
Springville, Utah: published for Springville Museum of Art in cooperation with Utah
American Revolution Bicentennial Commission, [1976] Provo, Utah : Press Publishing,
(accessed: August 12, 2019), Notes to Chapter 3, The Author, Rell G. Francis recounts having
attended a quarterly Stake Conference in Springville Utah, on 22 March 1942 where Levi
Edgar Young, a known friend of Cyrus Dallin, recounted the story of Dallin telling the
President he “didn’t believe in angels.”
10
Sears
11
Haslem
12
Haslem
13
Sears
14
Haslem
15
Sears
16
Sears
17
Sears
18
This portion of the story is a little murky, even for a story so often told without citations.
According to one source, she said: “Every time you return home, and take min in your arms,
you call me your ‘angel mother.’ “ (Francis, Rell Gardener, p. 66.) According to a story told
by Elder Levi Edgar Young of the Seventy, and related to him by Dallin prior to his death,
After Telling his mother he did not believe in Angles, she “threw her hand in amazement,
rushed to a desk and chose a piece of paper which she thrust towards her son. ‘So, you
don’t believe in angels?’ she asked. ‘Then, pray, why did you address this letter in such a
manner?’ Cyrus read the salutation he had written... ‘My dear angel Mother’ and changed
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Know Your Moroni
his mind about designing an angel for the capstone. (“Levi Edgar Young Tells Tale on Dallin
Sculpture,” Newspaper clipping, source and date unknown.”)
19
Sears
20
Sears
21
Haslem
22
Albert L. Zobell, Jr, “Cyrus Dallin and the Angel Moroni Statue,” Improvement Era 72 (April
1968):5:6.
23
Parshall, Ardis E. “The Day the Angel Moroni Almost Lost His Horn,” keepapitfhinin.org, 23
August 2009.
24
Malin, Millard Fillmore 1891-1975. Millard F. Malin autobiographical sketch, circa 1966,
(accessed: August 8, 2019)
25
Deseret News Press (Corporation). Deseret News Press photograph archives (negatives
only), 1950-2000, (accessed: August 12, 2019)
26
Sears
27
Levi Edgar Young, “The Angel Moroni and Cyrus Dallin, “Improvement Era 56 (April
1953):234
28
Sears
29
Historical Department journal history of the Church, 1896-2001 July; 1890-1899; 1892
April; Church History Library, (accessed: August 12, 2019)
30
This is a personal observation using a telephoto lens, and reflects the state of the statue
prior to its removal for refurbishment in 2020.
31
W. H. Mullins Company of Salem, Ohio, (accessed: August 12, 2019)
32
Nelson, Russell M., “Closing Remarks,” ChurchofJesusChrist.org. April 2019
33
”Plans Unveiled for Salt Lake Temple Renovation,” Newsroom, 19 April 2019.
34
Walch, Tad, “Crane lifts damaged Angel Moroni statue off Salt Lake Temple,” Deseret
News, 18 May 2020.
35
In photos and video released by the Church of the opening event, large broken sections
of the upper half can be seen lying in chunks all around the floor. “Salt Lake Temple Time
Capsule Is Opened 128 Years Later,” Newsroom, 29 June 2020.
36
Francis, p. 66-68.
37
Dallin, Cyrus Edwin 1861-1944. Cyrus E. Dallin letter, Arlington Heights, Massachusetts,
to Gaylen S. Young, Salt Lake City, Utah , (accessed: August 12, 2019)
38
Walton, Valerie, ”Why do temples have the angel Moroni on top? Here’s look at the
history of the iconic statues,” The Church News, 30 July 2020.
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COMMISSIONED HEIGHT
1951 15’ 5.5” (4.7 Meters)
MATERIAL WEIGHT
Welded Aluminum 2,101 lbs. (953
covered in 22 karat kilograms)
gold leaf
CURRENTLY ON
1 Temple(s)
The tradition of a statue on every temple did not begin with Cyrus Dallin.
His iconic Angel Moroni statue for the Salt Lake Temple has become a
symbol for the church. But five temples would be built without statues.
Another sixty-two and a half years would pass before another Angel
Moroni Statue would be placed on a temple. Dallin’s creation would
influence all to come. All the statues to follow keep the horn and the
upright position of Dallin’s Statue. But the next statue would be as
distinct from the Salt Lake Statue as that statue was from the Nauvoo
weather vane.
Thirteen acres of property had been purchased from the estate of movie
celebrity Harold Lloyd in 1937. Announcement of a temple followed
soon after. By this time, three more temples had been completed in the
world, one each in Laie Hawaii, Cardston Alberta, and Mesa Arizona.
Each of these temples had been built without an Angel Statue. Although
early proposals for the Mesa Temple featured a statue, the final design
chosen did not have one. There were now 7 temples in the world and
only one had an Angel Statue. Even the recently begun Idaho Falls
Temple had no Angel atop its planned spire. Clearly the intention at this
point was that the Flagship temple in Salt Lake would be a unique
structure, with the Angel Moroni Statue being a unique feature as well.
However, an early plan for this new temple in Los Angeles, drawn by
Edward O. Anderson, showed a contemporary design, with a single spire
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Statue being sculpted by Millard

Malin at the Otto Buehner Co.
(1954)
The Los Angeles California Temple

Statue. (1954)
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and an Angel statue at the top.1 For the first time in 45 years a statue
was being considered for a temple. Unfortunately, the outbreak of
World War II put all plans on hold for Los Angeles, and even added a
delay to Idaho Falls.
Construction moved forward again in the 1950s under the direction of

David O. McKay, now President of the Church. President McKay, like
many of the Presidents who would follow after him, recognized the
symbol that the Salt Lake Temple’s angel statue was becoming for the
Church. He knew the value that such a symbol could have in promoting
the Church and bringing people to the Gospel. President McKay desired
that this new California Temple have an angel statue as well. As
construction commenced on the Los Angeles California Temple in 1951,
Millard Malin was commissioned to create a new statue. Malin had been
a fellow student of Professor Edwin Evans at the University of Utah with
Church Architect Edward O. Anderson.2 When the need arose for
someone to Design the statue, Brother Anderson turned to his old
friend, now a well-recognized sculptor. The Two friends had already
collaborated together on the Sugarhouse Monument in the Salt Lake
Area.3 Malin was contracted to also create the Oxen and Font for the Los
Angeles Temple.
Designed just for the Los Angeles California Temple, Malin’s Moroni is
one of a kind. According to the sculptor, the style was heavily influenced
by the paintings his friend of Arnold Friberg.4 The larger-than-life style of
Freiberg’s Book of Mormon Paintings can be seen in the muscle tone of
the statue. Friberg also suggested the placement of the trumpet, which
fits into the lips gracefully, and is held out from the body by a fully
extended arm. Dallin’s statue had used a military style stance, the bent
elbow forcing the trumpet against crushed lips.5
The statue and was described by Malin as being “Indian in type … and
wears a costume which might be made of leather.”6 The sleeves, collar
and belt around the waist are square outlined in square designs and
shaped to be heavily outlined and noticeable from a distance. Aside
from the unique style in the clothing this, 15-foot-tall statue has two
other features not used on any other Moroni Temple Statue to date.
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First, the manner that the right hand holds the trumpet with the palm
upturned and the trumpet resting in the loose hand, again, part of the
pose suggested by Friberg. All other versions of the statue currently in
use have the left-hand palm down with a firm grip on the trumpet.
Second, unlike all the other versions of the statue currently in use on
temples which feature bare feet, this statue wears sandals. This statue
stands upon a sphere that is 33 inches in diameter.7
Another feature of this statue would also be used in a later version of

the Angel Moroni. It is the first of two statue versions created where the
statue is holding Gold Plates in the crook of his left arm.
Malin sculpted first a 40-46-inch maquette to plan out the design for the
angel. Having studied human anatomy at the University of Utah, Malin
sculpted the statue without any human being to model for him.8
Construction of the full-scale statue was done at a makeshift studio at

the Otto Buhner Concrete Co plant in south Salt Lake City,9 just north of
4500 south. Buehner co was then making the Mo-soi cast stone panels
for the Los Angeles Temple, and had already made the cast stone panels
for the exterior of the Idaho Falls Temple, the first-time precast concrete
or stone panels had ever been used on a temple. This studio would also
be used to create the font and oxen for the Los Angeles, Bern
Switzerland, London England, and Hamilton New Zealand Temples.
Two major design features were incorporated into this studio to assist
Malin with the job. First, to provide ample light, the North side of the
studio was comprised completely of windows. These windows could be
thrown wide open, allowing Malin to take in the sculpture from a
distance to identify issues that you might miss when viewing it up close.
The second feature was the construction of a four-foot-deep pit below

floor level that was lined with concrete. This pit house a turntable, as
well as the ball the angel stood upon. The pit dropped the statue low
enough it could still be lit from above. Despite the weight of the statue,
the turntable within the pit allowed a couple of Buhner’s crew members
to use crowbars to rotate the statue when necessary.
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After perfecting his small design, Malin sculpted a full, 15 ½ feet from
head to heel, resized model of the maquette. This was done by
constructing a framework or armature, known as a “mandrill,” as a
center support for the statue. 2 tons of plastelene clay is then applied to
the mandrill to fill out the statue’s rough dimensions.10 Then, careful
measurements of the original maquette are taken, scaled up, and
applied to the full-size statue.11 He was assisted in this work by Maurice
Brooks, Torlief Knaphus and Elbert Porter.12
One thousand pounds of plaster of Paris was then used to create a 5-

piece mold of this full-size statue.13 The molds were then shipped to
Roman Bronze Works in New York along with the plaster cast molds for
Malin’s sculptures for the font and oxen. There, the font and oxen were
cast in bronze and the statue was cast in Aluminum.
The casting was performed by coating the negative image of the statue
on each plaster cast segment with molten aluminum. This creates a
positive metal image of the casting contained on that section of plaster.
These 5 aluminum segments then had their edges cleaned up and were
fitted and welded to each other like a puzzle.14 The finished statue
ranges in thickness from 3/8 of an inch to several inches.15
In his autobiography Millard Malin shares an interesting story about the

casting of the statue. During the casting process he flew out to New York
in order to check on the assembly process. Upon his arrival, he found
that the metalworkers had decided, of their own accord, that the statue
would look better leaning forward a little bit. Besides the concern about
any stress the off centering of the weight may have caused, the whole
statue had been precisely sculpted with straight vertical lines to
compliment the design of the temple spire. This impromptu plan was
not acceptable to Malin, and he was able to get them to fix it prior to the
completion of the statue.16
Malin shared another story from the sculpting in an interview during the
Los Angeles Temple open house. Malin told the story of how his good
friend Elder Mathew Cowley visited him to see the completed clay
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Pole and socket method of
Statue Placement, with set
screws to allow for truing the
vertical alignment (inset)
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statue before it was sent off to be cast in aluminum. Elder Cowley said
“It is superb!- I like it-like everything about it.” Malin then invited his
friend to sign the Statue. Malin was very careful to protect the initials
“MC” carved on the bottom edge of the back of the robes through every
step of finishing and placing the statue. 17
Like its predecessor, this statue is also designed to function as a lightning

rod. The Los Angeles Temple was, and still is, one of the tallest buildings
in the near vicinity. In the case of this statue, there is a lightning rod with
grounding wire embedded in the right hand, holding up the trumpet.18
The casting of the figure took three months. Once completed, the statue
was loaded on a truck, and shipped off to Los Angeles.19
The statue traveled by truck, from east coast to west coast, on an 8-day
transcontinental trip. It arrived at the temple the morning of the 9th of
October 1954.20 The statue was then lifted, by crane, to a spot prepared
for it on the roof of the temple behind the spire. It was placed upright
and surrounded by scaffolding for the process of gilding.21 Helmuth
Rimmach working for Lippold Co. of Salt Lake City then gilded the statue.
This process consisted of covering the statue with zinc oxide, then a coat
of White lead paint in a process known as sizing. Once sizing was
completed, the statue was covered in a fine layer of 23-caret gold leaf.
The 8-foot-long trumpet,22 which was shipped as a separate piece, was
gilded separately and added last.23 The entire process took three days.24
Many people gathered at the temple to watch along with President

David O. McKay and his wife as the statue was lifted into place atop the
spire on Tuesday 19 October 1954. The process took about an hour as
the Masonry Supervisor, Stanly C. Child and his crew lifted the statue
into position.25
Unlike the copper Salt Lake Statue, the aluminum of the Malin Statue,
combined with more modern construction methods, meant that the
statue did not require any special balancing system. Instead, a single
steel post running through the statue and out the bottom of the sphere
the statue stands upon. In a photo in the Improvement Era of November
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1955, page 804, this post can be seen just over President McKay’s
shoulder.26 It sticks out of the bottom of the ball by about 5 feet, and
according to Malin was about 4 inches in diameter.27 This post was slid
into a slightly larger tube welded to the interior framework inside the
spire. A post and socket method similar to this has been used on every
statue since. In the case of the Los Angeles Temple statue, two sets of
heavy duty set screws, spaced four feet apart secured the statue against
further movement, and allowed for vertical leveling of the statue.28 A far
cry from the lever and counterweight system used at the Salt Lake
Temple 60 years earlier.
In an Ironic moment, Malin recounts in his autobiography how the metal

workers who tried to tilt the statue initially, got a portion of what they
wanted in the end. Once the statue was rotated, due to the placement
of the set screws in the socket, the statue was forced to lean ever so
slightly forward. In the end, he said, the metalworkers got what they
wanted.29
The leafing on the statue was planned to last a long time. It was 28 years
before the statue would receive some upkeep, in March of 1982.30
Scaffolding was erected around the spire so that Henning Anderson of
Salt Lake and his crew could re leaf the statue. The process consisted of
first using a wire brush and sandpaper to strip as much of the original
leaf and sizing off the statue. The statue was then cleaned and a modern
sizing paste created for gold leafing was applied. Then new gold leaf, in
squares 3 3/8 of an inch in size was placed, square by square, across the
whole surface of the statue. Lastly a soft brush of Badger or Squirrel hair
is used to “burnish” the leaf, or brush it as a way of polishing it to a high
shine.31 Maintenance of this type is necessary for all of the Gold Leafed
Angel Moroni Statues.
This Aluminum statue is lighter weight than its predecessor, but the
aluminum needs periodic repair due to the way the surface pits when
struck by lightning.32 Copper could have been used to make the statue,
as had been done at the Salt Lake Temple, had Los Angeles building
codes not put a limit the amount of weight which can be placed so high
up.33 The Los Angeles Temple Moroni was only the second ever temple
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to have an Angel Moroni Statue, yet it still was not the start of the
tradition of angels on the temples. Nearly 19 years and 5 more temples
were to come before another statue would be used on a temple.
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Upturned Palm
This is the only Moroni statue that holds
the trumpet in an upturnede right palm,
rather than with the right hand wrapped
around the tube
Gold Plates
This Angel Moroni holds a reproduction
of the Gold plates from which the Book
of Mormon was translated, nestled in
the crook of his left arm.
Distinctive Garb
The robe, belt, and headband convey
Mayan culture as understood from the
era the statue was sculpted.
Sandals
Besides the distinctive clothing, this is
currently the only Moroni on temples
that is not barefoot.
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1
Anderson, Edward Oliver 1891-1977. Los Angeles Temple rendering, circa 1940, (accessed:
August 12, 2019)
2
3
Malin, Millard F, “Millard F. Malin Papers 1923-1968 (Inclusive,) Special Collections, J.
Willard Marriott Library, Salt Lake City, Utah
4
Smith, Henry A., “Another Monument to Moroni,” Church News, 16 January 1954, p.6
5
Malin, autobiographical sketch.
6
7
Sears, Jack, “A Sacred Witness To all Men,” The Instructor, March 1956
8
Smith, Henry A., p.6
9
10
Sears.
11
12
13
14
15
Lundstrom, Joseph “Angel Moroni Statue Lifted to Top of L. A. Temple Steeple,” Church
News, 23 October 1954.
16
17
Sears
18
Swift, Melba B., “Moroni Gets a New Gold Overcoat on L.A. Temple,” Church News, 27
March 1982.
19
Church News, 15 March 1958.
20
Lundstrom.
21
Lundstrom; “Statue Arrives,” Church News, 16 October 1954, p. 1
22
Winn, Howard Christensen 1920-. Los Angeles Temple construction, 1953-1954; 1956,
23
“Church Leader Approves,” Church News, 23 October 1954.
24
Lundstrom.
25
Lundstrom.
26
Anderson, Edward O., “The Los Angeles Temple,” Improvement Era, (November 1955)
27
28
29
30
Swift.
31
Swift.
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32
33
74 | P a g e
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V1 V2
COMMISSIONED COMMISSIONED
1971 1978
MATERIAL MATERIAL
Cast bronze Cast bronze
covered in 23 covered in gold
karat gold leaf leaf
HEIGHT HEIGHT
18’ (5.5 Meters) 15’ (4.6 Meters)
WEIGHT WEIGHT
4,000 lbs. (1814.4 4,000 lbs. (1814.4
kilograms) kilograms)
CURRENTLY ON CURRENTLY ON
1 Temple(s) 3 Temple(s)
18 and a half years would pass till the Church put another Angel Moroni
on a temple. Between the LA and DC Temples, the Church would build
and dedicate five temples without an angel statue atop them. The third
temple to have an angel statue was the large new temple built in the
U.S. Capital, Washington D.C., the 16th operational Temple in the world.
For the Salt Lake Temple, President Woodruff was already certain as to
who he wanted to make the statue.
For the Los Angeles Temple, Edward Anderson contracted with his friend
Millard Malin for the design.
For this new temple, the Church would follow a plan similar to what they
had done for the design of the Cardston and Mesa Temples. Specific
artists were invited to submit designs in a competition to be considered
for the new temple. Designs were to be submitted in the form of clay
P a g e | 75
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Jordan River Utah Temple

(1981)
Washington D.C. Temple

(1973)
Mexico City Mexico Temple

(1982)
76 | P a g e
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figures approximately two feet in height. On 10 July 1971, the church

announced the selection of the design submitted by Avard Fairbanks.1
During the sculpting of the full size, 18-foot copy of the statue in
Pietrasanta, Italy, Avard Fairbanks invited all the temple Architects to
come and see the statue. Each of the Architects and their families took
him up on the offer in turn. When Keith Wilcox, Chief Architect for the
temple stopped by, he told Brother Fairbanks that he did not like the
statue. Brother Fairbanks was concerned, until Brother Wilcox explained
the mouth on the statue did not look right. He explained that the mouth
appeared to be drinking from the trumpet, rather than blowing into it.
Brother Wilcox explained to Avard how a trumpet player purses their
lips together, and adjusted the pressure in his lips to change the note.
He then demonstrated, puffing out his cheeks and pursing his lips. Avard
got excited, and asked Brother Wilcox to hold the pose, which he did, for
the next 45 minutes.
Brother Wilcox was rather proud of having modeled for the Moroni
statue, and by his own account worked it into conversations whenever
he could. The excitement lasted until the statue was installed. At that
point he realized that he could barely see the head on the statue, let
alone how the lips were configured.2
Once the full-scale statue was completed, it was converted to plaster

molds and was cast in bronze in Italy near where it was sculpted.
Fairbanks would often go to Pietrasanta to finish marble works he was
commissioned for,3 and had others of his bronze works cast there as
well.4
The statue is a graceful figure that presents a feeling of power and

strength. Of his design Doctor Fairbanks said:
“I wanted the statue to conform to the spirit and architecture

of the temple, that of aspiring upward. I wanted the feeling of
that upward reach accomplished by the stress of vertical lines.
I thought of the Angel Moroni coming to the world to herald
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the advent of the latter days and bringing the gospel plan to
the people of today.” 5
Avard Fairbanks’s Angel Moroni is the only temple statue that has the
trumpet pointing the same direction as the feet. All other statues have
the trumpet and head turned at a right angle to the chest and feet.
Like Malin’s Moroni, this angel holds a reproduction of the Gold Plates
that the Book of Mormon was translated from nestled in the crook of his
left arm. The robes on Fairbanks’s Moroni are long, longer than on any
other Moroni. They cover part of the feet, well below the ankles. Most
Moroni Statues have the robes end about or above the ankles.
This statue was also the first to be used on more than one temple.
Originally, just an 18-foot statue (from feet to crown) for the
Washington DC Temple was commissioned. Later three 15-foot versions
were made to be used on other temples. The Washington DC statue is
still the tallest Angel Moroni in use when measured from feet to crown.
The bronze does not suffer the pitting problem of the Los Angeles
Aluminum statue; however, the bronze can suffer corrosion issues,
especially in areas with a high acid content in the rain.
The completed and gold leafed statue was placed atop the easternmost
spire 11 May of 1973. Avard Fairbanks was on hand for the placing of the
statue, as was Elder Thomas S. Monson, then one of the twelve apostles.
He was joined by Elder Boyd K. Packer. Sister Ina Jane Ashton Richards,
Elder LeGrand Richards wife was there for the occasion as well, as she
happened to be in town at the time.6
The statue was only the third statue to be placed on any temple in 81
years. It was, and still is, the largest.7 Only two other statues were in use
by the Church at this time. The first was a statue by Torleif Knaphus
sculpted for the Washington D.C. Chapel, which would soon be removed
when the church would sell the building. The second, also by Knaphus,
was the statue on the Hill Cumorah Monument.
78 | P a g e
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8
In the 1970’s the Church did something it had never done before: They
commissioned multiple copies of a single statue for placement on
multiple temples. Prior to this point each of the three temples with a
statue, Salt Lake, Los Angeles, and Washington D.C., received a custom
sculpted and crafted statue made just for that temple. However, the
church was beginning to increase temple construction.
Five new temples were planned, Sao Paulo Brazil, Tokyo Japan and
Seattle Washington were all announced in 1975, Mexico City was
announced in 1976, and Jordan River was announced in 1978. The last 3
of these new temples were each planned to have an Angel Moroni
Statue.
To accomplish this goal, The Church contacted Richard Young of Young

Fine Art Casting Studio, and Dr. Avard Fairbanks. The plan was for the
two of them to create a shorter, 15-foot replica of Avard’s 18-foot statue
which he had sculpted for the Washington D. C. Temple, the last Angel
Moroni to have been placed on a temple.
Convinced that their statue would be the new standard, Young and
Fairbanks created their new statue in a manner that would allow them
to cast statues over again from a single mold.
To create the new statue, they first constructed a skeletal frame out of
wood in the rough shape of the sculpture. The basic form of the statue
was then created over the top of the frame with chicken wire. 3 inches
of water clay was then placed over the top of the chicken wire to sculpt
the details into. They used rulers, tape measures, and a calculator to
resize details of Fairbank’s original maquette up to the size of the new
15-foot sculpture framework. The formula used to resize the dimensions
of the maquette to the dimensions of the statue was based upon the
ratio of the maquette height to the statue height.
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(Top to Bottom) The Washington D.C.,
SeattleK Washington,
n o w Y o Jordan
u r MRiver
o r and
oni
Mexico City Temples each have a bronze
casting of the Avard Fairbanks Statue.
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When sculpting of the new statue was complete, deep relief features on
the statue were covered in a rubber shell known as a case. Then the
whole thing, rubber case and all, was covered in a plaster ‘case.’ This
new shell, once hardened, was cut into multiple pieces and removed,
becoming the new mold. The rubber case on the deep relief areas could
be easily bent to remove it from the statue while still allowing the mold
to retain its shape.
Sections of the mold would then be pieced together like a puzzle and the
inside of the partial mold would be coated with molten bronze up to 1/4
thick. Once the bronze had cooled and set, the metal pieces could be
removed and welded together into the new statue.
Research on the three statues made from this method often return
wildly differing numbers as to how much the statues each weigh. Most
of the weight of the statue would come from the skeletal structure,
usually made of stainless steel, rather than from the bronze shell.
Because this interior structure could vary, the weight of the statue could
vary as well. Silicon bushings were used between the steel framework
and the bronze shell to prevent corrosion from electrolysis between the
dissimilar metals. The size of the support structure would be determined
by the client, in this case the Church, which would in turn determine the
overall weight of the statue, with less than half the weight coming from
the actual bronze.
During this whole process, a younger man, very interested in the process
and procedure they were developing, by the name of Karl Quilter would
come to watch, assist, and learn from Richard Young and his college
instructor, Dr. Avard Fairbanks.
The first of these new, mass-produced statues, was placed atop the
Seattle Washington Temple on 25 October 1979.9 The second was placed
on the Jordan River Utah Temple on 7 August 1981.10
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For Young and Fairbanks, they believed this was the beginning of what
they would be doing for the rest of their lives. Indications were that the
Church was planning soon to build even more temples all over the
world, and in just a couple of years the Church would indeed announce
first 7 and then another 9 new temples to be built around the world.11
However, these new temples, actually initially designed to have neither

spire nor angel, would end up having thin narrow spires unable to hold
the weight of the massive metal statues. The Church would seek out a
new method for statues, and so the first three of these new “standard
statues” would also be the last three.
By the time the third of these statues was placed atop the Mexico City
Mexico Temple in September of 1982, the first of the new light-weight
statues had already been atop the Atlanta Georgia Temple for a month.
Do date, The Mexico City Statue was the last metal statue ever placed
atop a temple.
1
“Angel Moroni Statue Chosen for Temple,” Deseret News, 10 July 1971.
2
Wilcox, Keith Wilson 1921-; Wilcox, Keith Wilson 1921-2011. A personal testimony
concerning the Washington Temple / Keith W. Wilcox [Ogden, Utah?]: The Author, c1995
5th printing, (accessed: August 12, 2019)
3
Fairbanks, Eugene, “Sculptural Commemorations of Abraham Lincoln by Avard T.
Fairbanks” Journal of the Abraham Lincoln Association, Vol 26, Issue 2, Summer 2005, p. 46-
47.; Fairbanks, Eugene, “THE LIFE AND WORK OF AVARD TENNYSON FAIRBANKS, BFA, MFA,
MA, PhD, DFA, hon. Sculptor Anatomist, and Educator,” Traditional Fine Arts Organization,
Inc., 2006.
4
Pony Express, (sculpture.) Smithsonian
5 “Angel Moroni Statue Placed on Spire of Washington Temple.” Ensign, July 1973.
6
Statue placed.
7
Statue placed.
8
Young, Richard, Personal Interview with Brian Olson and Marvin Quist, 10 July 2018. The
remainder of this section comes from an extensive personal interview with Richard Young,
who assisted Avard Fairbanks in the creation of the 3 smaller Angel Moroni Statues.
9
Hansen, Lynne Hollstein, “Much publicity given Seattle Temple events,” Church News, 3
November 1979, p. 12.
10
“Sneak preview of statue,” Church News, 15 August 1981, p. 9.
11
Young, Richard.
82 | P a g e
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Loose Grip
The left hand on the Fairbanks statue holds
the trumpet in a loose grip, the fingers
extended and the pinky under the trumpet
instead of over.
Gold Plates
Like the Los Angeles Moroni, this Angel
Moroni holds a reproduction of the Gold
plates that the Book of Mormon was
translated from nestled in the crook of his
left arm.
Direction
This is the only Angel Moroni Statue that has
the trumpet pointing the same direction as
the feet. All other statues have the trumpet
and head turned at an angle to the right
from the chest and feet.
Below the Ankles

The robes on this Angel Moroni are so long
they cover part of the feet. Most Moroni
Statues have the robes coming to at or
above the ankles.
84 | P a g e
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V1 V2
COMMISSIONED COMMISSIONED
1930 ~1980
MATERIAL MATERIAL
Welded Aluminum Fiberglass covered in
covered 22 karat gold 23-carat gold leaf
leaf
HEIGHT
HEIGHT 11’ 6” (3.5 Meters)
11’ 6” (3.5 Meters)
WEIGHT
WEIGHT 400lbs (181.44
645 lbs. (292.6 kilograms)
kilograms)
CURRENTLY ON
CURRENTLY ON 2 Temples
2nd floor, Church
History Museum
In the early 1930’s the Church constructed a chapel in Washington D.C.

It was the first Chapel for the nation’s capital. The design called to mind
the complexity and style of the Salt Lake Temple. As part of the design a
replica of the Salt Lake Angel Moroni was commissioned.1
Torlief Knaphus designed the statue based on Cyrus Dallin‘s Moroni. This
statue is a foot shorter than Dallin’s original. It’s 11’ 6” in height, and
cast in aluminum. The statue weighs 645 lbs.2
The chapel was sold in 1976, and the statue was removed from the
chapel and put in storage. That statue is now in possession of the Church
History Department. It is on display at the Church History Museum in
Salt Lake City. It has never been placed on a temple.
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Idaho Falls Idaho Temple
Know Your Moroni
(1983)
Boston
Massachusetts
Temple
(2001)
Washington D.C.
Chapel Statue, as
photographed at the
Church History Museum
(1930)
86 | P a g e
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There is a tradition that prior to ending up in the Church History

Museum, this statue was briefly in the possession of the Church’s
Motion Picture Studio. To date, there is no documentation indicating
that this was actually the case.
The Motion Picture studio does have a fiberglass statue in its possession
as of writing. This statue may have caused people to believe it was the
DC Chapel statue due to its similarity in style.
In the early 1980’s there were 20 temples in existence, and of those 20,
only 5 had Angel Statues. New temples were being planned for a new
global push, taking the temples to members of the Church everywhere.
7 temples had been announced in a press conference 2 April 1980.
These new temples were to be in South America, Australia, Pacific
Islands, and Southern United states.3 The Church had never experienced
such a rapid expansion in Temples before. Another 9 temples were
added to the plan the following year in the United States, Europe, Asia
and Africa.4
These new temples were smaller and more cost effective to build. While
initial plans left off the spire and the Angel, the decision was made in the
end to include both.5 This was done partly to make them easily
identifiable as a temple, rather than a chapel, as most of them would be
little larger than the chapels the Church would be building at the time.6
Another reason for the inclusion was an understanding on the part of

the Brethren of ‘branding.’ Giving the temple a statue, like the one in
Salt Lake, atop the spire, would not only make them easily identifiable as
Temples, but would cause people to ask questions about the statue, and
in turn the Church. This new focus on identity would cause statues to be
added to all temples for decades to come.7
There was, however, a structural problem with the desire to add statues
to the new temple. These new small temples had narrow, sometimes
delicate looking spires, incapable of holding the massive weight, 1.500 –
6,000 pounds each, of the Angels that had been produced in the past.
Making the spires larger would cause the spire to be disproportionately
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large, not fitting well with the simpler size and elegance of the new
designs, in addition to increasing the cost of the construction of the
temple. Making a metal statue small enough to be held by these delicate
spires would make them too small to be seen effectively. As a result, a
new type of statue was needed. One that could retain the size and
proportion needed to look nice atop the spire, but keep the weight
down.
Such a statue had been made just a couple of decades earlier by Elbert
Porter. He had made an 8-foot-tall statue out of fiberglass, weighing only
200 pounds. Such a statue was perfect for these new temples. The only
hurdle left to be cleared was the rapid production of statues for the first
7 of these temples.
Karl Quilter and his friend LeVar Wallgren had been developing a new
method for reproducing sculptures and statues. This new method was
hybrid of the techniques Quilter had learned from Richard Young and
Avard Fairbanks, and the polyester fiberglass materials8 Karl had learned
to work with while working for a plastics shop after his mission,9 and the
techniques and materials Wallgren had learned while working with
fiberglass in a boat yard.10
Prior to the Angels, the pair first did a different job for the Church,
where in they created new spires for the Assembly Hall at Tabernacle
Square. This job required the creation of 22 new spires in 2 different
kinds. On each of the 4 gables of the hall are 3 each 8-sided spire tops,
for a total of 12 octagonal towers. On the North and South sides of the
assembly hall were 5 spires on each side with 4-sided spire tops, for a
total of 10. The team of Wallgren and Quilter were able to successfully
produce all 22 spires in good time and with a high level of detail per
spire.11 This particular job led to Brother Wallgren’s company producing
spires for chapels all over the world.
To show what they could produce statues as well, Brother Wallgren used
the Washington D.C. Chapel Statue as a guide for a test of a new type of
88 | P a g e
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Angel Moroni Statue. The Chapel statue, previously sculpted by Torlief

Knaphus had been retired and removed from its spire perch just a few
years prior. Wallgren made a mold from the chapel statue,12 and from it
reproduced 2 copies of the statue using the new Fiberglass composition
method he and Quilter had produced.
These statues would be used as part of the first wave of fiberglass

statues placed in the early 1980s. The first of these 2 statues was placed
upon the soon to be completed Atlanta Georgia Temple on 12 August,
1982. It was the first Fiberglass statue placed on any temple in the
world. A second statue was placed on the then 40-year-old Idaho Falls
Idaho Temple, the first time since it was dedicated in 1945 that it
sported a statue and the first time a statue had been retroactively
placed atop a temple, on 5 May 1983.
This new method consisted of creating a fiberglass and rubber case,

instead of a plaster and rubber one. As with the Plaster case, once it had
cured, it was cut into separate sections. Within the lighter weight pieces
of this negative image mold, they would then apply their fiberglass
medium, rather than using molten metal as earlier statues had done.
The new fiberglass statue segments could then be pieced together and
glued using more fiberglass resin.13 The backs of the new statues would
be left off while the statue was arranged on and attached to a metal
framework around a steel pole. Once that was completed, the backs
would then be secured in place,14 and the whole statue sanded, sealed,
finished in gold leaf, and sealed again.15 This method was very
successful, and Quilter and Wallgren would use it to make not just the
Angel Status, but in many cases the oxen and font for the temples
baptistry.16 The new sculptures were so durable and resilient that
Wallgren believed they would go decades before needing
replacements.17
The Idaho Falls statue remains, but the Atlanta Statue was removed,
replaced with another model. This original statue was destroyed after
removal.18 The reason for its destruction is unknown, but it was possibly
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Idaho Falls Idaho Temple (top) and the Boston Massachusetts Temple (bottom) currently hold
the only fiberglass replicas of the Knaphus Statue.
90 | P a g e
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due to damage received during its 14 years atop the temple spire. A
third copy of this statue was later cast for the Boston Massachusetts
Temple19 and was placed 1 September 2001. This recreation of the Dallin
Statue is on the temple closest to the Massachusetts home where Dallin
lived for most of his life.
While looking identical to the Salt Lake Temple, there are differences
between the two. In regards to his sculpture, Knaphus said that, while it
looks the same from a distance, the arms and shoulders are “beefier”
than the original.20 Other differences include the following:
Dallin Knaphus
Cap No perceptible band Visible band around back
of head
Eyes Lids partially closed, eyes Lids wide open, eyes
staring at horn look up
Cheeks Cheeks puffed Cheeks relaxed
Lips Mouthpiece against lips Mouthpiece in lips
Face Young Older
Trumpet Bell Horn flares out abruptly Horn flares less severely
Trumpet tube Thinner thicker
Arms Slightly longer, less Slightly shorter, more
muscle tone muscle tone
Hands Thinner, more feminine Thicker, more muscled
Feet Longer Shorter
Toes Curve upward little Curve down over ball,
toenail detail outlined toenails
1
Reed Russell “Guest Post: The Washington, D.C. Chapel” keepapichinin.org, 26 September
2012.
2
J. Michael Hunter “I Saw Another Angel Fly” Ensign, January 2000.
3
Hart, John L, “7 new temples to be erected,” Church News, 5 April 1980, p. 3.
4
“Plans announced for 9 new temples,” Church News, 4 April 1981, p. 3.
5
January 10, 1982, Church architect Emil B. Fetzer announced revised plans for the temple,
via churchofjesuschristtemples.org
P a g e | 91
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6
Observation based upon satellite image calculations.
7
Roe, Frederick Robert 1920-. Angels: Moroni and his associates/Fred Roe [Bountiful, Utah]:
The Author, 1992 May 1992 printing, (accessed: August 12, 2019)
8
Roe.
9
Roe.
10
John L. Hart, “Statues Sculptured in Fiberglass.” Church News, 4 September 1983, p. 8-9,
13
11
“New Spires Brighten Old Hall,” Church News, 18 July 1981; also, Roe.
12
Roe.
13
The Friend (February 1987), p. 20-21
14 Unlimited Designs Inc. Interview by Marvin Quist, July 29, 2016
15
The Friend.
16
Legacy.
17
Hart.
18
Mike Enfield, phone interview with Marvin Quist, 2017.
19
Ibid.
20
Walton, Valerie, ”Why do temples have the angel Moroni on top? Here’s look at the
history of the iconic statues,” The Church News, 30 July 2020.
92 | P a g e
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Cap
Like the Dallin Moroni, this statue wears a
cap. Unlike the Dallin Moroni, this cap has a
clearly defined band around it.
Bare Arms
Knaphus's Moroni, like Dallin's, has
arms that are bare up to the
shoulder. The arm's on Knaphus's
statue are notably more muscular
than on Dallin's
Cape
Like Dallin's, Knaphus's Moroni has the
multi-layered robe with cape like
shoulders.
The Unique Sphere

Standing on the same gold disc, as the
Dallin Statue, this statue has a smaller
half sphere matching the outer edge of
the disc, giving a look of a gold bowl
with a lid atop it
94 | P a g e
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COMMISSIONED HEIGHT
1978, sculpted ~1982 7’ (2.1 Meters)
MATERIAL WEIGHT
Fiberglass ~300 lbs.
(181.4 kilograms)
CURRENTLY ON
90 Temples
In the 1970’s the Church commissioned Karl Quilter to create a new

fiberglass standard that could be deployed to all the new temples
President Kimball was planning.1 The Church requested a statue from
Quilter that would be more akin to the Dallin statue. They wanted the
statue to be one in an act of proclamation, rather than delivering a set of
plates. 2 In thinking about the new statues and what the design should
be like, Karl came to the conclusion that the “everlasting Gospel” that
the angel in the book of revelation was carrying had to be more than just
what was in the Book of Mormon. He decided his statue would not carry
plates, as the two previous statues had done.2 Initially, 20 of this statue
were ordered before the decision was made to ask for a second, larger
statue as well.3
Karl’s Method was a little different from some of those who had come
before. Like his mentor, Avard Fairbanks, (and Millard Malin before the
both of them,) Karl was a student of anatomy. Instead of starting with a
mandrel and piling on clay until reaching a mass that looked about right,
Karl would instead model each and every muscle, ensuring the final form
was correct in mass and proportion.4 Lastly, clay in the form of cloth like
draping is added as a final layer to shape the clothing on the statue.5
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Newport Beach California Temple
(2005)
Aba Nigeria Temple

(2004)
Atlanta Georgia
Temple
(1997)
96 | P a g e
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The full-size clay statue was carved on site at Wallgren’s studio in Kearns
Utah. LaVar Wallgren would than create seams across the surface of the
clay statue using strips of metal sticking edge out from the statue. 6
These strips would create breaks between the fiberglass pieces so that
the mold could be split apart after it was created. Polyester fiberglass
resin would then be sprayed directly over the clay statue. Once the mold
had hardened, it was pulled apart at the previously created seams. As
the clay would stick to the mold, it would then need to be pulled out of
the mold sections. 7 These fiberglass shells could then be pieced together
to make larger mold sections, which were then filled with fiberglass to
make segments of the statue. 8 As with the metal statues, the finished
statue pieces would then be pieced together to form the final statue,
ready for gilding. Unlike its predecessors, the entire statue, from
creation to casting, was done at one location, with no need to ship it
across country to a foundry.9
The new statue was 7 feet, head to heel. Like the Dallin Statue, this new
Quilter Statue had the trumpet in a firm grasp, elbow bent, trumpet
pressed firmly to the lips, with the trumpet turned about 45 degrees or
so to the right. The statue is dressed in a flowing robe, with less layers
than the Dallin statue, no cap, and a higher level of detail. Quilter’s work
tends to the realistic, with a high level of detail, sculpted with deep
contrast so that the details stand out. This style is more akin to Millard
Malin’s style, having sharper, crisper details than the Dallin Statue, and is
very different from the sculpture carved by his University Teacher,
mentor and friend Avard Fairbanks, which is more abstract in style.
The quickest way to identify this statue is to look at it from the front.
The hem of the robe on this statue is windswept and blows out and
away from the feet to the viewer’s left. The statue’s left hand is held
away from the body at a greater angle than the other two Quilter
statues. The left wrist is bent down. The robe on the left sleeve is
smoother, devoid of defined wrinkles, and the cuff hangs round and
loose on that arm. The left leg bends back at the knee, projecting
forward slightly in front of the chest.
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Nuku’alofa Tonga Temple

received the first copy of this
statue, 8 January 1983
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Seen from the side, the left arm is bent forward at the elbow. The left
hand is clenched in a fist.
Close up on the right hand the fingers holding the trumpet are spaced
apart. The thumb overlaps the pointer finger and touches the middle
finger.
The underside of this statue is signed by K Quilter and LV Wallgren.10
This statue was first placed upon the Nuku’alofa Tonga Temple 8 January
1983, being the second fiberglass statue ever placed atop a temple.
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This new method of making statues from fiberglass made them lighter. It
made them easier to transport to locations around the globe. They cost
less to make, and could be lifted into place by smaller cranes or even
helicopters. At the Apia Samoa Temple, when a crane large enough
could not be obtained in a timely manner, the workers donned white
gloves and lifted the statue into place BY HAND, such was the success of
these new statues.11
Now a temple did not need the heavy structural reinforcement earlier
statues required. This allowed for statues to be placed on smaller
temples and narrower spires. Even already dedicated temples could be
refitted with a statue. The whole process of temple design was changed
through the use of the newer, lightweight statue.
As of the end of 2018, copies of this Angel Moroni had been placed atop
95 different temples, making it the single most used statue.
1 Stecklein, Janelle, “Utah sculptor of Mormon Angel Moroni statues dies at 84,” Salt Lake
Tribune, 13 December 2013.

2
Rosner, Jannalee, ”Super Moroni” Statue Almost Appeared on Nauvoo Temple, Sculptor’s
Son Recalls.” LDS Living, Mormon Life, 28 October 2016.
3 “Sculptor’s Works Top Temple Towers Worldwide,” Ensign, April 2006.
4
Stecklein.
5
The Friend (February 1987), p. 20-21
6
The Friend, p. 20-21.
7
8
9
10
Based upon personal observation.
11
“Taking Temples to Members: Era Comes Closer” Church News, 6 Mar. 1983, 4–5.
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The Wide Grip

The fingers on the right hand are spread
apart, not touching, except for the thumb.
The thumb overlaps the pointer finger,
leaving a visible gap between thumb and
horn.
The Smooth Sleeve

The left sleeve on this statue has
wrinkles but are not well defined,
giving the sleeve a loose fitting look.
Look just above the inside of the left
elbow to note the lack of crisp
creases.
The Bent Wrist

Unlike its most similar brother, this
statue has a lleft wrist that bends
noticably, even from a distance.
The Straight Cuff

The left cuff of this statue is not
windswept, but loose. Additionally, the
cuffs on this statue are plain, where as
its most similar brother has a visible
hem on the cuff.
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COMMISSIONED HEIGHT
1978, sculpted ~1985 10’ (3.2 Meters)
MATERIAL WEIGHT
Fiberglass ~400 lbs.
(136.1 kilograms)
CURRENTLY ON
46 Temples
Temples vary in height. As such, a shorter statue that looks good on one
temple might look too small or too tall on another. Karl Quilter was
asked to create a second statue, taller, to be used where it would look
more balanced on some of the new taller temples. Quilter’s second
statue is 10.5 feet, giving architects an alternative statue size to choose
from when they design a temple. With almost 50 of this new statue in
use in use it is the second most plentiful Moroni Statue.
When viewed from the front, the hem of the robe hangs straight down
from the waist, not being blown to either side. The left arm is closer to
the body. The wrist on the left arm has no bend to it. The left hand is
clenched in a fist in this statue, like the first. The left leg bends forward
at the knee like the previous statue. However, it also bends slightly to
the outside. This causes the left ankle to be behind the right foot.
When viewed from the side, there is no bend in the left elbow. The cuff
is tightly windswept and blown out behind the arm.
The fingers on the right-hand touch together. The thumb touches the
side of the pointer finger without overlapping it.
This statue is signed on the underside “K Quilter 85” and “J. Dell Morris”
J. Dell Morris competed against Karl Quilter for the chance to design the
statue atop the Washington D. C. Temple. Both of them, of course, lost
to Dr. Avard Fairbanks.1
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Kansas City Missouri Temple

(2010)
Bern Switzerland
Temple (2005)
Temple (1995)
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This statue was initially planned for a run of six on larger temples being
planned at that time, San Diego, California; Orlando, Florida; St. Louis,
Missouri; Guayaquil, Ecuador; Bogota, Columbia; and Bountiful, Utah.2
However, on 27 January 1987, the Las Vegas Nevada Temple became the
first temple to receive a copy of this statue placed on its center east
spire. Since then, this statue has been used on 45 temples as of the end
of 2018.
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With the addition of this taller statue, Architects could now have an
additional option on which statue to place atop their temple design.
While the decision to include or not include a statue is typically up to the
presiding bishopric, who is in charge of design and construction, the
choice of style is typically up to the architect. This allows them to choose
a statue that fits the shape and feel of both the temple and the spire it
sits on.3 This need to match statues to the look and feel of their
placement can lead to some counter-intuitive placements.
For example, the Orland Florida Temple, one of the larger temples, has a
very narrow and thin spire. A smaller 7-foot statue was chosen so that it
would not look top heavy and off balance atop the thin pinnacle.
On the other end of the scale, many of the small temples have spires
that are thicker in relation to the rest of the temple than on larger
temples. Monterrey Mexico has a statue that is larger than the one at
Orlando so that the statue does not look dwarfed in comparison to the
spire.
1
“Angel Moroni Statue Chosen for Temple,” Deseret News, 10 July 1971.
2
3
Stecklein, Janelle. “Sculptor of Iconic Angel Moroni Dies.” The Washington Post, WP
Company, 2 December 2013.
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The Tight Grip

The right trumpet hand on this version of the
Angel Moroni has fingers that are close
together, touching each other. The thumb
touches the pointer finger, leaving no gap
between thumb and trumpet.
The Wrinkled Sleeve

The left sleeve on this statue has
wrinkles, very defined wrinkles. The
quickest way to tell it apart from the
previous statue is to look just above
the inside of the elbow for the well-
defined creases.
The Defined Hem

The hems of the sleeves on the cuffs of
this Angel are visibly hemmed.
The Windswept Cuff

The left sleeve collar on this angel is
modeled to appear to be blowing in the
wind.
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COMMISSIONED HEIGHT:
1997 5’ 11” (1.8 Meters)
MATERIAL WEIGHT:
Fiberglass covered in - lbs. (- kilograms)
gold leaf
CURRENTLY ON:
5 Temples
President Hinckley introduced the world to the idea of smaller temples

during the closing Sunday session of Conference in April of 1998.1 His
plan, initially would be comprised of a building featuring a celestial
room, an endowment room, a sealing room, a baptistry and the
appropriate changing rooms in a modern day take on the small-scale
serviceability of Brigham Young’s Endowment House. (After the first 3 of
these temples were completed, the plan was expanded slightly, with a
second endowment room, a second sealing room, and a waiting area for
non-patrons.) But as these new small temples were initially an
experiment in determining how small a serviceable temple could be
built, there was another experiment in their design that was very short
lived.
President Hinckley envisioned a new statue, white rather than gold, to

be used upon these small temples. While still allowing these new mini
temples to be identified at a glance as a temple of The Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-day Saints, they would be a bit cheaper, due to the lack
of the ubiquitous gilding used for the previous 106 years.
This new statue was designed and sculpted by LaVar Wallgren. LaVar,
who to this point had been the one creating the fiberglass shells, now
had the chance to design one himself. His first ‘inspiration,’ as he would
relate it to a reporter,2 was immediately accepted by the church for
inclusion on the new temples, despite LaVar having no formal art
training.
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Monticello
Utah
Temple,
Original
statue (1998) Columbus
Ohio Temple
(1999)
Bismarck
North Dakota
Temple
(1999)
Anchorage
Alaska
Temple
(1999)
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This angel stands at 5’ 11 inches tall and has two features that make it
very unique. First and most obvious is the scroll the statue holds in its
left hand. The second identifying feature is that the Moroni Wallgren
Created is far younger than any other Moroni statue. The face is that of
a more youthful prophet, rather than an older and wiser one.
Three of President Hinckley’s small, one endowment room temples,

were begun almost immediately. As the first of these, in Monticello Utah
neared completion, the first of Brother Wallgrens new white angel
statues was lowered into place atop its 70-foot-high spire on 14 May of
1998. Hopes were high for this new statue, and with a promise of at
least 30 new small temples being built,3 Wallgren had already begun the
next five statues. 4
The construction of the temple had not even finished when it was
determined that the white statues were going to be an issue. Only
slightly lighter in color than the cream-colored stone of the temple
exterior, the statue was beautiful on clear sunny days. However, anytime
a cloud moved behind the statue it practically vanished from view. It
turned out the statue was just too difficult to see.
The second of President Hinckley’s’ single endowment room temples

neared completion. Seven months after the placement of Wallgren’s
first statue, the second statue was placed atop the Anchorage Alaska
Temple on 17 December 1998. Unlike the first, this statue was gold
leafed from the day it arrived on site.
While the second statue was successfully gilded and placed without
issue, other events speak of problems with the “Life-size Moroni”
program. The same day that the Anchorage statue was placed, the
Colonia Juarez Mexico temple, the third and last of the one endowment
room mini temples, was receiving a Moroni statue atop its spire as well.
Unlike its sister temples, it received a replica of Karl Quilter’s larger 7-

foot statue instead. Already the life size Moroni program was on its way
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out. The five additional statues Wallgren had started would be the last
of that model his shop would cast.
Two of the statues had now been placed, but before the third would go
atop a spire, the first would come down.
One year and 11 days after it was to grace the spire at Monticello, the
one and only white Angel Moroni was removed from the tower and
replaced with a 7-foot Quilter statue. The white statue was shipped to
Salt Lake never to be used again.5
The remaining four statues would be gold leafed and placed on temples
before another year would pass. The first was placed just ten days later,
at Columbus, Ohio.
Bismarck North Dakota, and Kona Hawaii Temples would receive

numbers four and five that year, and Caracas Venezuela Temple would
receive number 6 the following March. No other copies of this statue
have since been completed for use upon additional temples.
Of interest is that, despite there being only 6 copies of this statue made,
and only 5 of those in use, this is the third most numerous Angel Moroni
Statue on All Temples, Fairbanks only having 4, and Malin and Dallin
each having only one.
1
Hinckley, Gordon B. “New Temples to Provide “Crowning Blessings” of the Gospel,”
Ensign, April 1998
2
Cala Byram “A Life-size Moroni,” Deseret News, 23 May 1998.
3
Hinckley
4
Byram
5
Personal observation of this statue in storage January 2017 by Marvin Quist.
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The Scroll
The left arm of this statue is holding a scroll,
directly referencing the scroll in Revelations
14:6- 7
The Tied Sash

This Moroni Statue has a sash tied
around its waist with a knot visible
on the right side.
The Young Moroni

This Moroni, rather than representing
an aged and mature Moroni,
represents a youthful version of the
Prophet Moroni. The face appears to
be less solemn and more cheerful than
other Moroni Statues.
The Sharp Detail

Unlike most other Moroni Statues, the
Wallgren Moroni has sharp, very
defined details. Most of the details are
shallow relief, but have very sharp
edges. The level of detailing is
consequently visible from a great
distance.
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COMMISSIONED HEIGHT
1997 6’ 10” (2.08 Meters)
MATERIAL WEIGHT
Fiberglass - lbs. (- kilograms)
CURRENTLY ON
3 Temples
A new statue was requested for use on the Nauvoo Temple. Karl Quilter
submitted multiple designs, talked about later in this book. The desire
was for something special for the Nauvoo Temple.
Standing at just 6’ 10” tall, this third statue of Quilter’s was sculpted
primarily for the Nauvoo Temple. The truly unique feature of this statue
is the left hand. It falls down at the statue’s side like other preceding
statues, but unlike any other Moroni in use, the hand is relaxed and
open.
Another identifying feature of this statue is the robes. They have a

heavier, more layered look, and appear far more disorderly and
windswept than Quilter’s two previous statues.
All three of Karl Quilter’s statues are often lumped together as one, in
conjunction with LaVar Wallgren’s statue, in articles discussing the
various statues. This statue also suffers the further indignity of being
mistaken with a fourth statue of Quilter’s. Legend goes, and has been
discussed in many publications, that this statue is a large-scale replica of
a sculpture created by Karl Quilter to be given to his grandchildren
should they complete all the standard works in a single year.1 It is not a
replica of that statue, being instead a separate, unique creation created
primarily for the Nauvoo Temple. 2
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Manhattan New York Temple

(2004)
Nauvoo
Illinois
Temple
(2001)
Reno Nevada
Temple 116 | P a g e
(2000)
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This statue has been used a total of three times, with the first placement
coming on the 26th of February in the Year 2000. This first copy, covered
in Gold Auto body paint, was placed atop the Reno Nevada Statue and
remained until 29 September 2014, when it was replaced with a gold
leafed replica of the same statue.
To Date, the only other temples this statue has been placed upon are
the Manhattan New York and Nauvoo Illinois Temples.
Opposite Page: Reno Nevada Temple (top), Manhattan New York

Temple(middle) and Nauvoo Illinois Temple(bottom) are the only temples to
use a copy of this statue.
1
Elder Glenn L. Rudd “The Angel Moroni” BYU-Idaho Devotional, March 11, 2003.
2
Based on personal observation, having seen a copy of the statue that was made for
grandchildren in storage at the Church History Museum, the statue lacks the open left hand
and looks more to be a blend of Quilter’s first two temple statues.
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The Scroll
The left arm of this statue is holding a scroll,
directly referencing the scroll in Revelations
14:6- 7
The Layered Robe

The Robe of this Moroni has visible
layers around the feet, and many
more wrinkles on the lower portion
of the robe than the other Moroni
Statues.
The High Detail

The first two Quilter statues , while
detailed, appear to be more overall
smooth and simple when compatred
to this statue. The look of this statue is
more "busy" overall. Most of the
details are deep relief, but have very
smooth edges. The level of detailing is
consequently visible from a great
distance.
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SCULPTOR Henri Michel DIED

Cyrus Edwin Dallin Chapu, Paris; 14 November 1944,
Ecole des Beaux Arts Arlington,
STUDIED AT/WITH Massachusetts
Truman H. Bartlett, BORN
Boston; 22 November 1861,
Academie Julian, Springville, Utah
“We can only create in life what we are and what

we think.” – Cyrus Dallin
Cyrus Dallin’s grandparents had moved to Utah after joining the Church.
His parents had settled in the small Utah town of Springville, near where
Dallin’s father mined. Despite the grandparent’s membership in the
church, Cyrus’s parents Left the Church and did not raise their family in
the faith.
Dallin grew up associating with the children in local Native American

tribes. He first attempted sculpting by making animals that roamed the
area, and busts of the local Indian leaders and chiefs out of river clay.1 It
was while working in his father’s mine that Dallin’s skills gained him
recognition. A vein of white clay was discovered in the mine, and from it,
Dallin sculpted busts of a man and a woman.2 These busts were noticed
by many regionally, and eventually gained him the attention of wealthy
individuals who proposed to help him, like a prospecting visitor from
Boston, C. H. Blanchard.3
Blanchard encouraged Cyrus to study sculpture in a more formal setting.

Blanchard sponsored him to attend the Bartlett Art School in Boston in
1880.
Most famously, Dallin is known for his statues of Paul Revere, created
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1880, Utah, Adolescent, age 19 Know Your Moroni
Approx. 1920, Boston
Approx. 1940, Boston
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for a competition for the city of Boston. Having had some artistic
differences with his teacher, 4 he had stared a small studio of his own in
the city, and when the occasion arose, he entered a competition to
create an equestrian statue of Paul Revere.5 He won the competition,
twice, through an anonymous submittal process.
Thanks to the help of a sympathetic Bostonian,6 Dallin moved to Paris in

1888 to study at the Julian Academy.7 There he would model his first
major work, a full-size statue of a mounted Indian titled Signal of Peace.
This first major sculpture for Dallin would also be the first to bring him
international attention and an honorable mention from the Paris Salon.8
The Revere competition never really ended for Dallin, despite winning,
he had 6 versions of the statue rejected over a 58-year period before
finally seeing his final submission cast and placed in 1940.9 Much of the
difficulty in getting his statue built can be attributed to the poor
behavior of other sculptors, including his former instructor, Thomas
Bartlett, who did all they could to turn public opinion against him for
being a “mere youth hailing from the Godless west.”10
Dallin would return to Boston in 1890,11 where he married Vittoria

Colonna Murray the following year.12 From there Dallin and his new
bride returned to Utah.
It was on this return in 1891 that the now 30-year-old Dallin was asked
to sculpt a statue for the temple.13 He had gained international
recognition by this point, and President Woodruff referred to him as ‘the
great Modelist of Utah.”14 Having been impressed with Dallin’s work, he
asked Cyrus to sculpt the Angel for the temple. The Salt Lake Temple was
the first to have a statue specifically identified as the Angel Moroni.
Dallin would also be commissioned to create the Monument to Brigham

Young. This is the monument that currently stands at the south end of
the Temple Square Plaza.
Dallin and his wife returned to Paris for three years to study at the Ecole
des Beaux Arts in 1895.15
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A Signal of Peace
(1890), Lincoln Park,
Chicago, Illinois
The Medicine Man

(1899), Fairmount Park,
Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania
Protest of the Sioux

(“The Defiance”) Appeal to the Great Spirit
(1904), at the 1904 St. (1909), Museum of Fine
Arts, Boston,
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Louis World's Fair
Massachusetts
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Dallin found the life of a sculptor to be rocky. While his works one praise
far and wide, making a living as a sculptor proved difficult. To support his
wife and three sons he became a professor of Art, teaching primarily for
the Massachusetts Normal Art School (Massachusetts College of Art and
Design) for 41 years.16
Sculpture was not the only interest Cyrus Dallin had. He had a great
fondness for archery that led him to compete in the sport. He earned a
Bronze Medal in the 1914 Olympics in St. Louis Missouri for team
archery.17
Though being raised by his parents as a student in a Presbyterian

School,18 in a Latter-day Saint community, Dallin would eventually
choose to become a Unitarian. This makes him unique among all the
current sculptors of an Angel Moroni statue, in that he is the only one
never to have joined the Church
Dallin is an internationally recognized sculptor. A museum in his honor

exists in Arlington Massachusetts in the historic Jefferson Cutter
House.19 Additionally the home he bought for his parents in Springville,
Utah is on the National Historic Register.20
"The events of my youth are my dearest

possessions. I have received two college degrees:
Master of Art, and Doctor of Art, besides medals
galore, but my greatest honor of all is, 'I came from
Springville, Utah.'"
-Cyrus Dallin
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Paul Revere (1899), Boston,
Massachusetts
Sir Isaac Newton (1895), Library

of Congress, Washington, DC
Wilford Woodruff (1940), Salt

Lake City, Utah, Conference
Center. This is the bust Dallin
carved that convinced Woodruff
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to request he | P atheg Moroni
sculpt e
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"Signal of Peace" Lincoln Park, Chicago, 1890

Illinois
"Angel Moroni" Salt Lake Temple 1891
"Brigham Young and Salt Lake City, Utah 1891

Pioneers"
"Medicine Man" Fairmont Park, 1899

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
"Appeal to the Great Spirit" Museum of Fine Arts, 1909

Boston, Mass.
"Gen. Winfield S. Hancock” Battlefield, Gettysburg, 1913

Pennsylvania
"On the Warpath" Brookgreen Gardens, South 1914

Carolina
"Gov. William Bradford" Pilgrim Hall, Plymouth, 1920

Massachusetts
"Massasoit" Cole Hill, Plymouth, 1920

Massachusetts
"Chief Geronimo” Donce Estate, Madison, 1926

New Jersey
"Eli Whitney" Rocky Creek, Georgia 1928
"Last Arrow" Muncie, Indiana 1929
"Pioneer Mother” Springville Art Museum, 1931

Utah
"Paul Revere" Paul Revere Hall, Boston, 1940

Massachusetts
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Brigham Young Monument (1899) and
Angel Moroni Statue (1891), Salt Lake City,
Utah.
Self Portrait Bust (1927), Springville,

Utah.
Jane
Hammer
Dallin
Portrait Bust
(1927), Utah
State Capitol
Building,
Utah.
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1 Knapp, Alma J, “The History of Cyrus Edwin Dallin, Eminent Utah Sculptor,” Thesis,
University of Utah, 1948, p. 11.

2
Craven, Wayne, “Cyrus Dallin: American Sculptor 1860-1943,” University of Delaware via
Harvardsquarelibrary.org, Accessed 04 March 2012.
3
Knapp, p. 14.
4 “The Cyrus Dallin Story,” NortheastFineArts.com, accessed 5 June 2015.
5
Knapp, p. 15.
6
Knapp, p. 17.
7
“Dallin, Cyrus Edwin,” Springville Museum of Art. Accessed 30 September 2011.
8
Rell G. Francis, “Cyrus Edwin Dallin,” Utah History Encyclopedia, media.utah.edu. Accessed
10 January 2012.
9 Francis.
10
NortheastFineArts.com.
11
Knapp, p. 22.
12
Francis.
13
Florence S. and Jack Sears, “How We Got the Angel Moroni Statue,” Instructor 88
(October 1953): 292
14
Wilford Woodruff journals and papers, 1828-1898; Wilford Woodruff Journals, 1833-
1898; Wilford Woodruff journal, 1886 January-1892 December; Church History Library,
(accessed: August 12, 2019) 13 July 1891.
15
Knapp, p. 23.
16
Craven.
17
"Archery - Cyrus Edwin Dallin (United States): season totals". The-sports.org. 1904-09-21.
Retrieved 2012-02-12.
18
Albert L. Zobell, Jr, “Cyrus Dallin and the Angel Moroni Statue,” Improvement Era 72 (April
1968) p. 5.
19
"The Cyrus E. Dallin Art Museum". dallin.org. Retrieved 2014-07-28.
20
“Dallin House,” Wikipedia.
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Massasoit (1920),
Utah State
Capitol Building,
Utah.
Victory Memorial (1919),
Springville, Utah.
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SCULPTOR Academy of Craft and BORN

Torleif Soviren Art Industry; 14 December 1881
Knaphus Academie Julien;
Art Students league, DIED
STUDIED AT/WITH New York 14 June 1965
Norwegian National
“In Gratitude I recognize that there has been a light
greater than mine to guide me, and a hand
stronger and richer than mine to guide and protect
me.” –Torlief Knaphus
Torleif Knaphus was born in Vats, Rogaland, Norway on 14 December of

1881. His father was Lars Larsen. His mother was Liva Sakariassen
Alfseike Knaphus.
As early as age 5, Torleif showed his creative side by carving birds

and human heads from pieces of wood and also sketched scenes
of nature as he watched over the family sheep.1 Noticing her son’s
interest in art, his mother purchased him a sketchbook, which he
then began to fill with landscapes.
Torleif took out an apprenticeship at age 14 in a paint and
decorating shop in Haugesund.
At 17 he went to sea for a year. The picturesque sunrises,
sunsets, the night stars, and the Northern lights further convinced
him of his love of all things beautiful,2 and upon returning home
he completed his painting and decorating apprenticeship, earned
his master’s slip, and opened his own shop.
Torleif traveled to Kristiania Norway (modern day Oslo) to further

pursue formal studies in art at the age of 19.3 While there he studied at
the Harriet Backer Art School in Oslo. He learned sculpting from Lars
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1904, Utah, age 22
1928, Utah, age 46
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Utne, at the Norwegian National Academy of Craft and Art Industry, at

the Académie Julian in Paris and the Art Students league in New York.
While there one of his roommates persuaded him to attend a Latter-day

Musical Concert through the expediency of pinning him to the ground
and refusing to let him up until he agreed to go.4 Of the experience he
said “It was easy for me to see and understand that this was the only
true Church of God.”5 Knaphus joined the Church in February of 1902
after a hole was chopped through 2 inches of ice in a frozen over lake.
He would turn down the opportunity to attend art school in Rome in
order to immigrate to Utah in 1906.6
His first jobs for the Church were painting in the Tabernacle and in the
Salt Lake Temple.7
By 1909, the year he met and married Emilia Helena Christensen in the
Salt Lake Temple, he was also sculpting Busts of Joseph Smith and
Brigham Young for the Church.8
Torleif and his brother Andrew, his only other family member to join the
Church, started a painting company in Sanpete County, Utah. However,
in 1912 Andrew was called to serve a mission in Europe. Their company
broke up, and Torlief accompanied his brother to Europe to study at the
Julian Academy in Paris. His plan was to spend the rest of his life doing
art and sculpture for the Church.9 Due to the outbreak of World War I,
his studying was cut short.10 Returning to the states he spent six months
studying at the Student Art’s League in New York.11
True to his hope, upon returning to the States, Torleif got his wish to
work for the Church. Along with A.B. Wright, LeConte Stewart, J. Leo
Fairbanks, and Avard Fairbanks, Torlief was hired to spend just over a
year working on the Laie Hawaii Temple.12
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Mesa Arizona
Cardston Font and Oxen,
Alberta Font 1927
and Oxen,
1923
Idaho Falls, Idaho Font and

Oxen, 1945
Oakland California, Font
and Oxen, 1964
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He did some work on the interior and is credited with Helping Avard
Fairbanks with the Baptismal font oxen, designed by the Temple
architects Pope and Burton.13
He was next contracted by the Church to spend just over two years
working on the Cardston Alberta Temple.14 For this job he would sculpt
the oxen in baptistery. He would later judge this to be his favorite font
creation.15 Later, once the Temple exterior was finished, he returned to
Cardston to sculpt a frieze and fountain for the exterior entryway titled,
“Christ the Fountainhead.”16
The frieze remained part of the steps leading up to the temple doors
until the 1992 remodel of the Temple. The expansion added a new
entryway with waiting areas and bathrooms, and encompassed the
frieze, incorporating it, and a new fountain, into the entryway of the
temple. Copies of the frieze can be found in the waiting room at the
meetinghouse Provo Utah Temple, on the exterior of the Edgehill Ward
Building in Sugarhouse Utah, as well as Chapels in Tremonton,
Belvedere, Rose Park, Yale, Las Vegas, and Wittier among others
throughout the world.17
For the Arizona Temple, Torlief spent two years sculpting for the Mesa
Arizona temple. He sculpted the 12 oxen for the font, which were then
baked in clay for a terra-cotta finish.
On the outside of the temple, Torleif sculpted 8 large terracotta friezes

that run around the outside of the upper portion of the building. These
friezes were formed first in plaster-of paris from sketches created by A.
B. Wright. The plaster models were then cast in Terra-cotta by a firm in
California.18 The 8 panels depict the gathering of Israel to the Rocky
Mountains. Portrayed are French and Italian peasants, some in climbing
togs after descending the Alps; a wife pleading with her husband to join
her; people in Holland preparing to board ship; an Englishman, some
Mountains. Portrayed are French and Italian peasants, some in climbing
togs after descending the Alps; a wife pleading with her husband to join
P a g e | 137
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John Taylor, 1953,

Conference Center, Salt
Lake City, Utah
Lorenzo Snow, 1953,

Lake City, Utah
Bust of Simon Bamberger,

1943, Utah State Capitol
Building, Salt Lake City,
Utah
The Handcart Pioneer

Monument, 1938, Temple
Square, Salt Lake City, 138 | P a g e
Utah
Chapter3| Sculptors
her; people in Holland preparing to board ship; an Englishman, some

Welsh and Irish, and a Scotsman arriving in America; various people in
their national dress crossing the plains; and Mexicans, Spanish-
Americans, Indians, and Polynesians traveling to Zion.19
The Hill Cumorah Monument was Torleif Knaphus’s idea, based upon his
great love and testimony of the restoration. He spent over five years on
the design and sculpting of this monument. (Further details in a later
chapter)
In concurrence with the creation of the Angel Moroni Monument for

Palmyra, Torlief also sculpted the Angel Moroni for the spire of the
Washington D. C. Chapel. This statue can now be seen in the Church
History Museum in Salt Lake City.20
During the time of sculpting the D.C. Moroni and the Cumorah
monument, his wife died, leaving him the lone father of eight children.21
He raised his children as a single Father for eight years. In 1940, at the
age of fifty-eight, he married twenty-three-year-old Rebecca Marie
Jacobson. She not only helped him raise his children, and bore him six
more.22
Torlief spent about a year and a half working on the Idaho Falls Temple.
Torlief sculpted a set of Art Deco style oxen, cast in white bronze, for the
baptistry font.23
Additionally, he sculpted friezes of two trees in the front wall of the

Garden Room.24
In 1983 an Angel Moroni Statue was placed atop the Idaho Falls Temple.
That statue would be a replica of his Washington D.C. Chapel Statue.
P a g e | 139
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Hill Cumorah Monument, Statue,
Obelisk, and Panels, 1938, Hill
Cumorah Site, Palmyra, New York
140 | P a g e
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Torlief assisted Millard F. Malin with the creation of the of the oxen for
the Los Angeles California Temple. He further assisted with the creation
of the Angel Moroni statue, and sculpted some of the interior decorative
details.25
While helping Millard Malin with the Los Angeles California Temple
work, he also assisted Malin with the Oxen for the Bern Switzerland
Temple. This oxen and font, once completed, was also used for the
London and Hamilton Temples.
Torleif was given the job of sculpting the oxen for the Oakland California
Temple, a job he spent two years on.
Torleif was also known for his work in genealogy. Elder Legrand Richards
of the quorum of the Twelve remarked on the work Brother Knaphus
had done, saying that he did not know anyone who had done more work
than Torleif.26 He always reserved 5 percent of his income for Genealogy
research. Through his lifetime he managed to collect over 10,000 names,
pushing his family chart back 22 generations.
Interior Work Laie Hawaii Temple 1915-1919
Oxen Sculpting Laie Hawaii Temple 1915-1919

(Assisted)
Font and Oxen Cardston Alberta Temple 1913-1923
Christ the Cardston Alberta Temple 1913-1923

Fountainhead
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Font and Oxen Mesa Arizona Temple 1922-1927

Christ the Fountainhead, 1923, Cardston Alberta Temple, Cardston, Alberta, Canada
Friezes based on Mesa Arizona 1922-1927
drawings by A.B.
Wright
Saints crossing the Plains, 1927, NW (facing N) corner, Mesa Arizona Temple
English, Welsh, Irish and Scottish Saints arrive in America, 1927, NW (facing W) corner
Handcart Company crosses the Plains, 1927, SW (facing W) corner
Saints from Mexico travel towards Zion, 1927 SW (facing S) corner
American Indian Saints Travel Towards Zion, 1927, SE (facing S) corner
Polynesian Saints enjoy Blessings of Laie Temple at Home, 1927, SE (facing E) corner
French, Swiss and Italian Saints heading to Zion, 1927, NE (facing E) corner
142 | P a g e
Dutch and German Saints embark for America, 1927, NE (facing N) corner
Chapter3| Sculptors
Font and Oxen Idaho Falls Idaho Temple 1939-1945
Church President Formerly Salt Lake Temple,

Busts currently Conference Center
Interior Work Salt Lake Temple
Oxen and Font Los Angeles California Temple 1951-1956

(Assisted)
Angel Moroni Los Angeles California Temple 1951-1956

(Assisted)
Oxen Oakland California Temple 1962-1964
Daughter of Handcart Temple Square 1947

Pioneers monument
Hill Cumorah Moroni Hill Cumorah 1935-1938

Monument
Angel Moroni Statue Washington D.C. Chapel

Statue, now at Church
History Museum
Moroni Delivers the Wilford C. Wood Museum,

Plates Bountiful Utah
Font and Oxen Bern Switzerland Temple Recast of Los

(Assisted) Angles Font
Font and Oxen London England Temple Recast of Los

(Assisted) Angles Font
Font and Oxen Hamilton New Zealand Recast of Los

(Assisted) Temple Angles Font
27
P a g e | 143
Know Your Moroni
1
Alder, Tom, “Alder’s Accounts, Torleif S. Knaphus,” 15 Bytes, Artists of Utah ezine,
February 2009.
2
Alder.
3
Alder.
4
Hartley, William G., “Torleif S. Knaphus, Sculptor Saint,” Ensign, July 1980.
5
Hartley.
6
White, Doris “Torleif Knaphus, Mormon Artist and Genealogist,” History of Mormonism, 28
F
7
Hartley.
8
Hartley.
9
Hartley.
10
Alder.
11
Hartley.
12
Alder.; Albright, Mark, “Torleif Knaphus-Norwegian Sculptor & Artist-1881-1965,”
Godpellineart.org,
13
Alder.
14
Albright.
15
Hartley.
16
Alder.; also, Subject file, Alberta Temple, Church Hist. Dept.; Young Women’s Journal,
Feb. 1928, p. 145.
17
Albright.; Also, Wikipedia, “Torlief Knaphus.”
18
Subject file, Arizona Temple, Church Hist. Dept.; J. W. Lesueur, “The Arizona Temple,”
Improvement Era, Oct. 1927, p. 1062.
19
Hartley.
20
Albright.
21
Hartley.
22
Hartley.
23
Albright.
24
Albright.
25
Albright.
26
White.
27
Hartley.
144 | P a g e
Chapter3| Sculptors
SCULPTOR National Academy of LDS MISSION

Millard Fillmore Design, New York City New Zealand
Malin Jr. June 1909–February
BORN 1912
STUDIED AT/WITH 25 October 1891
Herman MacNeil, DIED
New York City 27 March 1975
“Of my own efforts in art and science, I would say …

if my life and work are found to have any value,
give the glory to God. “
–Millard Malin”
Millard F. Malin was born 25 October 1891 in Salt Lake City to General
Contractor and musician Millard Fillmore Malin, and Latter-day Saint
composer Annie Pinnock Malin. Millard was named, first middle and last
name, after his Father, who was in turn named after the 13th President
of the United States. His Mother was author of the Hymn “God our
Father, Hear Us Pray.” Number 179 in the current Latter-day Saint
Hymnal.1
Millard was the 4th of five Children, the only boy.
He served a mission in New Zealand from June 1909 to February 1912.

His mission had been paid for by one of his older sister’s, Garnett, who
worked as a stenographer to earn the funds necessary to support him.
Ruby died shortly after Millard’s return home.2
After a stint as a sales clerk, then an assistant branch manager at an

Automobile Company, Malin enrolled at the University of Utah as a
medical student. For the 1914-1915 school year, besides anatomy
classes, he took art classes from Edwin O. Evans. While there he met and
P a g e | 145
Know Your Moroni
age 20 yrs. old, around
1911
age about 40 yrs. old, around 1930
age about 70 yrs. old,

around 1960
146 | P a g e
Chapter3| Sculptors
became friends with Edward O. Anderson, then an architect student.

Nights and weekends as a student Malin worked for Joseph Conradi
sculpting ornamentation for the Utah State Capitol Building. After
completing his first year of classes, he worked full time on the State
Capitol, and other available jobs to save up money.3
In 1917 he made his way to New York. Calling on multiple famous

sculptors to secure work as an assistant. Eventually he was accepted by
Herman A. MacNeil. He learned from MacNeil assisting on several of his
works for about a year.4
He took a job working in Shipyards near the end of World War I, taking
classes at Beux Arts Design in New York. After a year in New York, he
made his way home to Utah, and took a job sculpting interior details for
Pantages Theaters. The job took him from Salt Lake, Los Angeles,
Memphis and then to Kansas City. There, he took evening classes at the
Kansas City School of Art.5 His instructor, in Kansas City, Merrell Gage,
wrote him a letter of introduction to a friend of his, Gutzon Borglum, in
New York State.
He left Kansas City and headed out to New York, where he was hired by
Gutzon Borglum to assist in sculpting many of his works, including the
Confederate Memorial Carving at Stone Mountain in Georgia.6 Gutzon,
who is best known for carving Mount Rushmore, was born in Idaho to
Latter-day Saint Parents who soon after left the Church and moved the
family to the Midwest.7
Malin did a fair amount of work for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-
day Saints. Malin, at this point of his life, “had not been an active church-
goer for many years.” Despite that, he was able to do many different
jobs related to the construction of temples. He attributed this to his
lifelong friendship with Edward O. Anderson, whom he had met at the
University of Utah. He and Anderson had collaborated on the
Sugarhouse monument, and by this time Anderson was the head
architect for the Church.8
P a g e | 147
Font and Oxen, 1954-57,
Bern Switzerland, London Know Your Moroni
England, and Hamilton New
Zealand Temples
Celestial Marriage, Los

Angeles California
Temple, 1960
Unca Sam, 1935, Utah

State Capital
Chief John Duncan,
1935, Utah State Capital
Font and Oxen, 1951, 148 | P a g e

Los Angeles California Temple
Chapter3| Sculptors
In 1951 Malin began work on the Angel Moroni statue for the Los
Angeles Temple. He planned the work so that as he neared completion
of the Angel Moroni, he could begin on the font and oxen for the
Baptistry of the temple. The oxen for the temple were done in sets of
three that could be mirrored left to right and front to back underneath
the font. In the set of three oxen, each one was given a slightly different
stance and a slightly different set to the head. He used Long Horn cattle
as his inspiration for the oxen. He was assisted in the creation of both
the angel and the font by Torlief Knaphus, Maurice Brooks, and Elbert
Porter. 9
Near the dedication of the Los Angeles Temple, Malin received another
commission from the Church for a Family Group statue for the grounds
of the Los Angeles Temple. The statue presented some extra difficulty
for Malin, he spent a large amount of time getting the clothing on the
statue characters correct. He also struggled to get an arrangement of
characters where heads did not hide behind others.10
To solve the issues with the heads, he created cast in plaster with the
heads mounted on socket joints. This allowed him to arrange the heads
in place, and lift them out completely to work on them in plaster.11
In 1954 Millard Malin began work on the oxen and font for the Bern
Switzerland Temple. Unlike the Los Angeles Temple font, which was
round, the font for this temple is oval in shape. Instead of a set of three
oxen, a set of six individual oxen were sculpted. Instead of the longhorn
cattle, he made short horned, chunky cattle. After the font was cast, he
was praised in a letter from locals for so faithfully reproducing the
famous Ementaller bulls of Switzerland. The likeness, as far as Malin
could tell, was purely accidental. He was assisted in this project by
Torleif Knaphus, Maurice Brooks, and a young man just out of college by
the name of Karl Quilter.12
P a g e | 149
Column, friezes, and Know Your Moroni
statues of
Sugarhouse
monument,
1934,
Sugarhouse,
Salt Lake City,
Utah
150 | P a g e
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The casting of the new font and oxen were sent to the Mendrozi Bronze
Works on the Swiss/Italian border. There, three sets of the would be
cast, making one font each for the Berrn, London and Hamilton
Temples.13
Outside of the Angel Moroni Statue, Millard Malin is best known for the
Sugarhouse monument in the Sugarhouse area of Salt Lake. The
monument memorializes the efforts to grow and harvest sugar beets in
the Salt Lake valley.14
The monument is a tall stone obelisk. At the top are carved two Native
American figures, one on the east holding war gear and one on the west
holding a peace pipe.15
Two Bronze figures rest on the base, on the east a female figure
symbolizing productivity, and on the west a male figure representing a
mill builder. Additionally, the monument features bas reliefs on the
north and south sides, on the north representing a sugar mill and, on the
south, representing the fur trade.16
Besides being a sculptor, Malin was also an avid Astro Physicist. Along
with taking classes for art, he would often take classes on math and
science as well. In his youth, Millard was taken with the idea of their
existing a binary star system with some peculiar properties. In this idea
of his, the central star pair consisted of a larger, brighter hot star, and a
dimmer, smaller and cooler star. Most of the smaller star’s light and heat
was actually imparted by the larger. However, from the point of view of
the inhabited planet in the system, the larger star would be completely,
and by the orbit of the bodies involved, constantly, obscured from view
by the smaller star. Much of Malin’s free time was spent trying to prove
not only the possible existence of such a star, but that his idea was in
fact our very own solar system. In his Autobiography sketch, written in
1966, just nine years prior to his death, he affirmed that he became
P a g e | 151
Know Your Moroni
USS Utah Pearl Harbor Attack Memorial Plaque, Date

Uncertain, Utah State Capitol. Salt Lake City, Utah
152 | P a g e
Chapter3| Sculptors
more convinced that his idea explained the eccentricities of our solar
system the older he got.17
Sugarhouse Sugerhouse Utah 1930-1934

Monument
Battleship Utah at Utah State Capitol

Pearl Harbor plaque
Angel Moroni Statue Los Angeles California 1951

Temple
Font and Oxen Los Angeles California 1951

Temple
Font and Oxen Bern Switzerland 1954

Temple
Font and Oxen London England 1955

Temple
Font and Oxen Hamilton New 1957

Zealand
“Celestial Marriage” Los Angeles Temple 1960
Dinosaur Sculptors Utah Field House of 1964

Natural History,
Vernal Utah
1
2
Malin.
3
Ibid
4
Ibid
P a g e | 153
Know Your Moroni
5
Ibid
6
Ibid
7 Ibid
8
Ibid
9
Ibid
10
Ibid
11
Ibid
12
“Sculpture Work Progressed for New Temple Fonts,” Church News, 4 September 1954.
13
Malin
14
Ibid
15
Ibid
16
Ibid
17
Ibid
154 | P a g e
Chapter3| Sculptors
SCULPTOR Fine Arts, Jean Washington;

Avard Tennyson Antoine Injalbert, Michigan University
Fairbanks Paris;
Guggenheim BORN
STUDIED AT/WITH Fellowship, Italy; 2 March 1897
Art Students League Yale University;
of New York; DIED
University of 1 January 1987
National School of
“The arts are created for contemplation and
edification, the expression of the highest ambitions
and the spiritual hope of a people… Art can bring
understanding and uplift… It can recognize the finer
qualities of men of all stations of life... art ennobles
the struggles of life... Art too must have deep
concern in the industrial process, religious
inspirations, and political programs… our products
therefore become great factors in large scale
education and community uplift and pride.”
–Avard Fairbanks
Avard was born in Provo Utah on 2 March 1897, the last of 11 children.
His Mother, Lilly Annette Huish, died about a year after he was born. She
had been carrying the 14-month-old Avard in one arm and an oil lamp in
the other while in their home in Provo Utah. In protecting Avard from a
fall and keeping the lamp from setting the home ablaze as well she
twisted and injured her back. She died on 8 May 1898 after a period of
extended suffering.1
His Father, John B. Fairbanks, was an artist famous for having painted
murals in some of the early temples. John Fairbanks helped paint Murals
in the Salt Lake Temple starting in 1893. In 1917-1918 John painted the
P a g e | 155
Know Your Moroni
Around age 30
Late 40s, early 50s
Age 74, 1971, during

modeling of DC statue
156 | P a g e
Chapter3| Sculptors
World Room Mural in the St. George Utah Temple. Later he collaborated
on the Creation Room and Telestial Room Murals in the Manti Utah
Temple. Later John became a professor of art at the Brigham Young
Academy (now BYU) in Provo. 2
Avard Fairbanks comes from a family of artists. His brother, J. Leo

Fairbanks was an artist like their father, and was considered by Avard to
be his earliest mentor. Avard’s son, Jonathan Leo Fairbanks is a sculptor
in his own right and was curator of the Boston Museum of Fine arts in
the early 90’s. Avard’s nephew Ortho Fairbanks was also a prolific
sculptor, creating many works as well as finishing many of Avard’s works
that were in progress when he passed away.3
At the age of 12 Avard submitted a sculpture, A Rabbit in Clay, to the

1909 Utah State Fair. The sculpture won him first prize,4 however the
Judge refused to give the award to a mere child.5
At the age of 13 Avard traveled with his father to New York. John
Fairbanks had been hired to make copies of masterpieces at the
Metropolitan Museum of Art for private sale. He spent time during this
period working at the Metropolitan Museum of Art with his father and
modeling animals at the Bronx Zoological Gardens.6 Avard accompanied
his father, and while initially reluctant, the curator eventually allowed
Avard to express his skill copying sculpture at the museum alongside his
Father. 7 Avard became famous for his work, the New York Times
covered the story under the headline "Young Michelangelo of this
modern day in knickerbockers working at the Metropolitan Museum."
While in New York he studied at the Art Students’ League with James
Earl Fraser.8 At the age of 14 his work was put on display at the National
Academy of Design.9
At the Age of 16 he traveled to Paris to study with Jean Antoine Injalbert

at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts.10 At the age of 17 he became the youngest
P a g e | 157
Know Your Moroni
Restoration of the
Aaronic Priesthood,
Restoration of the
1957, Temple Square,
Melchezidek Priesthood,
Salt Lake City
1964, Temple Square,
Salt Lake City
Eternal Family, 1940, Tragedy at Winter

Conference Center, Salt Quarters, 1935,
Lake City Conference Center, Salt
Lake City
New Frontiers, 1934,

Lake City
158 | P a g e
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artist to be admitted to the French Salon.11 The outbreak of World War I

cut his studies short, bringing him back to Utah where he finished High
School.12
In 1918 Avard sculpted the friezes around the crown of the Laie Hawaii
Temple, and along with his brother J. Leo Fairbanks he created some of
the sculptures on the temple grounds there, as well as the oxen for the
baptistry font.13
In the 1920 Avard began a lifelong career of teaching art to others when
he was appointed an Assistant Professor at the University of Oregon.14
In 1924 he took a leave of absence from the University of Oregon to earn

a bachelor’s of fine arts degree from Yale University,15 after which he
returned to the University of Oregon until being awarded a Guggenheim
Fellowship.16 The fellowship award allowed him to study with Dante
Sodini, and at the Scuola Tiorentina de Pittura.17
After Studying in Europe, Avard earned a Masters of Fine arts in 1929

from the University of Washington.
Avard would join the Faculty at the University of Michigan in 1929 as an

associate professor of sculpture and resident sculptor in the Institute of
Fine Arts. He taught at the University of Michigan for 18 years. While
teaching sculpture there he also earned a Masters of Arts from the
University in 1933, and a Doctor of Philosophy in Anatomy just three
years later.18
During his tenure at the University of Michigan Avard worked closely

with the automotive. He created the Plymouth Mermaid Hood
Ornament for Chrysler Corporation, often known as “The Flying Lady,” in
exchange for a brand new 1932 Chrysler Royal Eight to drive to and from
the school each day.19
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Know Your Moroni
Plymouth Flying Lady,

1931, 1931 Plymouth PA
and 1932 Plymouth PB
Original Dodge Ram,

1932, Dodge Ram’s 1932
vehicles.
Hudson Gryphon, 1933,

1933 Hudson Essex
Terraplane.
160 | P a g e
Chapter3| Sculptors
Chrysler Corporation would contact him again about creating a hood

ornament for their Dodge Automobile company. It was Avard that
created the first Dodge Ram Hood Ornament, a symbol that would
continue to be used even today in the form of the Dodge Ram badges
that are the company’s symbol.20
In 1947 Avard moved his family back to Utah where he was appointed
dean of the University of Utah’s new College of the Fine Arts.
He also sculpted many works for Temple Square including busts of some
of the prophets, The Restoration of the Aaronic Priesthood monument,
and the 3 Witnesses Monument. In 1964 he created the Restoration of
the Melchezidek Priesthood Monument for the World’s Fair Mormon
Pavilion in New York.21
Avard also created the original Hudson Griffin Hood Ornament.22

Additionally, he is often credited with teaching the auto industry how to
use clay instead of wood to mock up automobile styles and ideas.23
Fairbanks sculpted a statue of Lycurgus for the city of Sparta in Greece. It
was so well received that it led to his being knighted by King Paul of
Greece.24
P a g e | 161
Know Your Moroni
The Vision of young

Joseph Smith, 1982, Joseph Fielding Smith,
Conference Center, Salt 1967, Conference Center,
Lake City Salt Lake City
Heber J Grant,
1941,
Conference
Center, Salt
Lake City
George Albert Smith,

1950, Conference Center,
Salt Lake City
162 | P a g e
Chapter3| Sculptors
"Motherhood” Springville Art Museum

"The Idaho Doughboys, Two cities in Idaho
“The Awakening of Eugene, Oregon
Aphrodite”
"Eternal Progress" bas relief, LDS exhibit, 1933-

Century of Progress, 1934
World’s Fair, Chicago,
Illinois
“Tragedy at Winter Chicago Fair 1934 and 1935
Quarter" Florence, Nebraska
"Youth and New Chicago Fair, 1934
Frontiers"
"Marcus Whitman, U.S. Capital Statuary Hall

Pioneer Physician,"
"Esther Morris of U.S. Capital Statuary Hall

Wyoming"
“John Burke, Governor U.S. Capital Statuary Hall

of North Dakota"
"Pony Express” Utah Centennial and

Reno Museum
"Lincoln the Lincoln Monument,
Frontiersman" Springfield, Illinois
"The Emancipator" Eva Plantation, Eva,
Hawaii
"The Rail Splitter," New Salem Village,
Illinois
P a g e | 163
Know Your Moroni
"Lincoln-Douglas bronze panels, Galesburg,

Debates," Illinois
"The Vision" of young Museum of Church 1982
Joseph Smith, History and Art
“The Hawaiian Temple Laie, Hawaii
Friezes”
West Frieze: Individuals of the Old Testament
Font and Oxen, 1918, Laia Hawaii Temple
West Frieze, Old Testament,1918 Laia Hawaii Temple
South Frieze, New Testament,1918 Laia Hawaii Temple

164 | P a g e
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South Frieze: Christ and Disciples of New Testament
North Frieze: Characters of the Book of Mormon
East Frieze: The People of the Latter-day Dispensation
Temple Square Salt Lake City, Utah

monument to the Three
Witnesses
Nauvoo Bell Tower Temple Square, Salt Lake

City, Utah
Restoration of the Harmony, Pennsylvania 1957
Aaronic Priesthood, and Museum of Church
History and Art
Restoration of the Temple Square 1964
Melchezidek
Priesthood,
Statue of the Angel Washington D.C., Seattle,

Moroni, Mexico City, Jordan River
Temples and Museum of
Church History and Art
1
Cope, Rachel (August 2003). "John B. Fairbanks: The Man Behind the Canvas". BYU
Scholars Archive. Retrieved June 7, 2019.
2
Cope, Rachel.
3 “Avard Fairbanks,” Wikipedia
4 “Artist: Avard,” Utah Division of Arts & Museums, State of Utah Art Collections.
5
J. Leo Fairbanks, “Dr. Avard Tennyson Fairbanks: a bit more history”
fairbanksartbooks.com
6
“Avard Fairbanks - A Short Biography of the Sculptor,” rheafamily.org, archived 7 June
2015
7
J. Leo Fairbanks.
8 “Artist: Avard,” Utah Division of Arts & Museums, State of Utah Art Collections.
P a g e | 165
Know Your Moroni
9 Fairbanks, Eugene F. (1972). A Sculptor’s Testimony in Bronze and Stone: The Sacred
Sculpture of Avard T. Fairbanks. Salt Lake City, Utah: Publisher’s Press.

10 State of Utah Art Collections.
11State of Utah Art Collections.
13
rheafamily.org
14
rheafamily.org
16
rheafamily.org
17
rheafamily.org
18
rheafamily.org
19
Jim Benjaminson, “The Story of Avard T. Fairbanks,” allpar.com
20
Jim Benjaminson.
22
Jim Benjaminson.
23
Jim Benjaminson.
24 Ludlow, Daniel H., ed. (1992). Encyclopedia of Mormonism. New York: Macmillan
Publishing Company. p. 1286. ISBN 0028796055. Retrieved May 31, 2019; Wagner, Danielle
B. “4 Latter-day Saints Who Have Been Knighted”. LDS Living. Deseret Book Company.
Retrieved June 7, 2019.
166 | P a g e
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SCULPTOR Salt Lake Art Center, BORN

Karl Alfred Quilter Utah; 27 April 1929
Avard Fairbanks,
STUDIED AT/WITH Utah DIED
University of Utah; 27 November 2013
“The Book of Mormon is full of very powerful

individuals influenced by the Lord. How fitting
that one of the most faithful and dynamic of these
was Moroni, who would carry their story to our
generations. The Angel Moroni should be portrayed
as a powerful masculine figure."
–Karl Quilter
Karl Quilter was born in Castle Gate, Utah to Alfred Powell Quilter and
Vera Hales Quilter. Karl’s Father, Alfred, was born in Yorkshire England
and immigrated to the United States with his parents as a youth. Karl’s
Mother was Born in Utah, and married Alfred in 1926.1
When Karl was young, his parents moved the family to Henryville, near
Bryce Canyon, Utah. Growing up in Henryville, Karl would often play on
banks of local irrigation ditches making animals out of clay.2 One of the
grade school teachers noticed the natural artistic ability of both Karl and
his brother, and encouraged the family to get them a better opportunity
for training. 3 Karl was able to attend High School in south Salt Lake High
School. Karl’s teacher encouraged him to take up oil painting. One day,
Karl began working with some clay in the classroom. Initially the teacher
tried to discourage him from working with the clay, and to stick with
painting.4
“Karl, don’t ever paint again,” his teacher told him after seeing what the
young artist could do.5
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Know Your Moroni
As a young teen, around 1940s
About the
1950s-1960s
Aged 71, 2001
168 | P a g e
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Karl was called to serve in the Northern States Mission,6 where he

created his first non-commissioned sculpture,7 a papier mâché statue at
a state fair booth.8 More than 250,000 people viewed his first statue,
standing about 2 feet.9 The statue, a standing figure holding gold plates
in the crook of a bent left arm with the right hand raised high, as if
beckoning or greeting someone,10 was used in booths set up at the Ohio
and Indiana state fairs.11
Karl’s son would later relate an experience where, due to this statue, he
was approached by one of the prophets, who told him, “Karl, I want you
to pursue this sculpturing and keep with it because one day you’re going
to make a great contribution to the Church.”12
Upon returning home, Karl Quilter attended the University of Utah with
a scholarship in sculpture.13 While working on his degree in Sculpture he
had the opportunity to be mentored by Avard Fairbanks.14 (This would
have been in the early 1950’s prior to Avard being chosen to sculpt the
Angel Moroni Statue for the Washington D. C. Temple.) Karl was found
to be very talented student, and after the first year was moved to an
advanced class, where he was able to assist in instruction for other
classes.15 Near the end of his schooling, a fellow student asked Karl what
he would like to do in life. Even then, Brother Quilter knew, he told his
classmate that someday he wanted to sculpt an Angel Moroni statue for
a temple.16
Quilter earned a second degree while at the University of Utah. He

studied Industrial Design, a study that introduced him to new materials.
While there he began his experiments with casting statues in
Fiberglass.17
It is of interest to note that, assuming Brother Quilter to be in his

twenties, this would have been around 1950 that he began these
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First Angel Statue,

as a missionary,
Date unknown
Washington D.C.
Temple Moroni
Submission, 1971,
Church History
Library
CES Commission (The

Grandchildren Statue), 1995,
Church History Library
170 | P a g e
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experiments. In 1964, Elbert Porter would cast his Angel Moroni Replica
in fiberglass for use on the World’s Fair Pavilion in New York. It is not
known if either Karl Quilter or LaVar Wallgren were involved in its
creation.18
Brother Quilter would go on to further his education at Brigham Young.19

Presumably this was so that he could start his career as a Seminary
Teacher.
You may have noticed at this point that pretty much all the Sculptors
who have worked on Angle statues had other jobs as well as sculpting. In
most cases, this was teaching. In the case of Karl Quilter, he chose to
teach the religion that he loved and grew up with. Brother Quilter,
known to his later students as ‘the notorious “B.Q.,”’20 taught Seminary
for many years at Highland High School, West High School, and Olympus
High School.21
Round about 1954, Millard Malin invited Karl to come and assist him,22
along with a few others, in sculpting some oxen for the Bern Switzerland
Temple. Karl was in his early twenties at the time. The job took several
months, and once completed, casts of these new oxen were created for
the Bern Switzerland, London England, and Hamilton New Zealand
Temples.23 The first-time multiple copies of a single set of oxen had been
used at multiple temples. This predates the first-time multiple copies of
Angel statues were used as well.
Brother Quilter and LaVar Wallgren had already been doing some work
together when the Church contacted Brother Quilter about doing an
Angel Moroni Statue.
When designs for smaller temples started to emerge, they were initially
spire less, lacking any statue at all. When the designs were revised, a
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10 Foot Angel Statue,

1985
7 Foot Angel Statue,

1982
6 Foot 10 Inch
Angel Statue,
1998
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new, lighter-weight Moroni became necessary.24 The narrow spires of

the new temple designs could not support the massive statues that
came before, weighing between 3/4 to 2-1/2 tons each. Quilter would
eventually sculpt 3 separate designs for the Church, but his first statue,
standing at about 7 feet heal to head, and weighing about 260 pounds25
could be put anywhere in comparison to their predecessors.
Karl Quilter’s statues were lighter, easier to transport to locations

around the globe, cost less to make, and could be lifted into place by
smaller cranes or even helicopters. Additionally, they did not require the
heavy structural reinforcement earlier statues required due to being cast
from metals, allowing temples to be built to different building codes and
still retain a statue.26 This allowed for statues to be placed on smaller
temples and narrower spires, including temples that had not been
originally designed to have the statue.
Another larger statue was created by him in the late 1980’s, and
eventually a third, mid-sized Angel Moroni was crafted in the late 1990’s.
All told, there are only 13 Angel Moroni Statues on Temples, out of
almost 160, which are not replicas of one of Quilter’s three designs.
Quilter’s three statues are often mistaken for one statue, or at best,
three different sizes of one statue. But each statue is different with a
unique pose.
As the Church rolled out plans for smaller temples using standardized
floorplans in the 1980’s the need arose to mass produce not only Angel
Statues, but Oxen statues for the temple baptisteries. These too were
created by Karl Quilter and cast in fiberglass with the help of Wallgren.27
Karl’s first set of Oxen pictured in a Church News article from 1983,28 are
a re-sculpting of precast concrete oxen created for temples built in the
1970’s. Karl’s version used the same posing of the oxen, but more
stylistic reeds behind the oxen, and less pronounced hair. Karl’s
fiberglass oxen were used on the single story, six spired, sloped roof
temples built in the 1980’s.29
In an interview with Karl Quilter in 200630 it was noted that most temple
oxen had been done by Brother Quilter. While the Church has not
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Baptistry Oxen,
Denver Colorado
Temple
Baptistry Oxen,
Lubbock Texas
Temple
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released a list of which temples he did, an examination of Temple

baptistry photos released during his lifetime show four or five distinct
sets of oxen being used over and over for all the temples from 1980
through about 2010.It becomes apparent that if not all, the greater
majority of all Angel Moroni Statues and Oxen created over a 30+ year
period were done by Karl Quilter.
Later in life, Quilter would serve another mission for the Church, this
time for the Temple Department. The call was to sculpt a nativity scene
for the Church that has been replicated and distributed to most temples
in the world.31 This white three-piece nativity set consists of a central
Piece depicting Mary, Joseph and the baby Jesus in a family group. The
other two pieces of the nativity are a kneeling donkey, and a kneeling
pair ewe with her lamb.
Karl Quilter did do other pieces besides the work he did for the Church.
In 1987, during the centennial celebration for Ricks College (now BYU
Idaho) A “heroic size statue” of the schools Viking mascot was placed in
the Hart Building on campus. The statue was placed upon a rotating
base, and would face the stadium for football games, and the arena for
basketball games.32 Another piece Quilter is known for is that of a
modern take on a shepherd, a cowboy hat on his head and a dog at his
side, carrying a lost sheep.33 One of the earliest commercial works
Quilter did was a sculpture known as the “The Release of Aphrodite,” a
sculpture created for a health Spa in Philadelphia.34
Brother Quilter also did a commission that stands across the street from
the Utah State Capital. The piece is, a bronze statue of a widow and her
young son leaving behind the grave of a small daughter, is on the
grounds of the Pioneer Museum and was commissioned by the
Daughters of Utah Pioneers.35
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Release of
Aphrodite Know Your Moroni
Eagle Dancer, 1976
The Shepherd
176 | P a g e
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Angel Moroni Church Archives 1970’s

Submission
Washington D.C.
Temple
Assembly hall tower Salt Lake Temple Square 1981
cupolas
Angel Moroni, 7 ft. 90+ Temples worldwide 1982
Angel Moroni, 10 ft. 50+ Temples worldwide 1985
Angel Moroni 6 ft. 10 Nauvoo Illinois, Reno Nevada, 1997
in Manhattan New York
3 pc Nativity Various Temples worldwide 2000’s
1
“Karl Alfred Quilter.” FamilySearch, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.
2
Biographical interview With Karl Quilter, 18 March 1992, by Fred Roe, via: Roe, Frederick
Robert 1920-. Angels: Moroni and his associates / Fred Roe [Bountiful, Utah]: The Author,
1992 May 1992 printing, p 49. (accessed: 5 September 5 2018)
3
Roe, Fred.
R
Roe, Fred.
5
“Sculptor's Works Top Temple Towers Worldwide.” Ensign, The Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-Day Saints, Apr. 2006,
6
Deseret News. “Obituary: QUILTER, KARL.” Deseret News, Deseret News, 1 Dec. 2013.
7
Stecklein, Janelle. “Utah Sculptor of Mormon Angel Moroni Statues Dies at 84.” The Salt
Lake Tribune, The Salt Lake Tribune, 13 Dec. 2013.
8
Rosner, Jannalee. “‘Super Moroni’ Statue Almost Appeared on Nauvoo Temple, Sculptor's
Son Recalls.” LDS Living, 27 Oct. 2016.
9
Stecklein, Janelle.
10
“Karl A. Quilter's First Angel Moroni.” Karl A. Quilter Karl A. Quilter's First Angel Moroni -
FamilySearch.org, Mcq, 16 Feb. 2014,
11
Stecklein, Janelle.
12
Rosner, Jannalee.
13
Roe, Fred.
14
Roe, Fred.
15
Roe, Fred.
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16
Roe, Fred.
17
Stecklein, Janelle.
18
Brent L. Top, “The Mormon Pavilion at the 1964–65 New York World’s Fair,” in An Eye of
Faith: Essays in Honor of Richard O. Cowan, ed. Kenneth L. Alford and Richard E. Bennett
(Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center; Salt Lake City, 2015), 321–47.
19
“Sculptor's Works Top Temple Towers Worldwide.”
20
“Obituary: QUILTER, KARL.”
21
“LDS Sculptor Leaves Lasting Legacy.” Church News and Events, The Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-Day Saints, 5 Dec. 2013.
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/church/news/lds-sculptor-leaves-
lasting-legacy?lang=eng
22
Roe, Fred.
23
Sculptor's Works Top Temple Towers Worldwide.
24
Rosner, Jannalee.
25
Stecklein, Janelle.
26
27
Ostler, Shannon W. “How Moroni Statues Are Made.” The Friend, The Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-Day Saints.
28
Hart, John L. “Statues Sculpted in Fiberglass.” Deseret News, 4 Sept. 1983, pp. 8–13.
29
This observation was made by comparing photos released by the church showing the font
and oxen of multiple temples. Duplicate sets of Oxen were made out of precast concrete in
the 1970’s for Ogden Utah, Provo Utah, Washington DC, São Paulo Brazil, Tokyo, Seattle,
Jordan River, and Mexico City Temples. Another full-size copy was made for a display in the
basement of the North Visitors center at Temple Square. The Visitors Center copy was
removed in the early 1990’s, and used on the Vernal Utah Temple font. (Lloyd, R. Scott.
“Vernal Temple Doors Open to Public.” Church News, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-
Day Saints, 18 Oct. 1997.) Visual confirmation of Karl’s initial fiberglass oxen set was made
by comparing the Church News article photo to photos of the Baptistries and fonts available
for other temples. While photos are not available for all temples, copies of Quilter’s oxen
were found in at least the following temples: Boise Idaho, Dallas Texas, Chicago Illinois,
Johannesburg South Africa, Seoul Korea, and Denver Colorado.
30
31
Rosner, Jannalee.
32
Crowder, David L. “THE SPIRIT of RICKS: A HISTORY of RICKS COLLEGE.” Chapter 19, RICKS
COLLEGE,
33
Rosner, Jannalee.
34 Dibble, Gregory. “Paper Shortage May Chalk up a Gain for Artist.” The Salt Lake Tribune,
30 Dec. 1973, p. E3.

35
“President James E. Faust Dedicates New Monument to Pioneer Women.” Ensign, March
2002.
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SCULPTOR STUDIED AT/WITH DIED

LaVar Elof Wallgren Self-taught 1 February 2004
BORN
13 August 1932
“The most wonderful thing that ever happened to

me is when I received a testimony of the Church.
That glory and joy and, of course, the opportunity
to create these statues is very humbling.”
-LaVar Wallgren
It is not surprising by now that most of the Church, and many outside it,
know of Cyrus Dallin, the non-member who sculpted the first statue.
Millard Malin is less well known, but is still a known sculptor. Avard
Fairbanks was very prolific with is work, and is very well remembered.
And it seems everyone knows the Angel Moroni statues were sculpted
by Karl Quilter. Look up any article on Angel Moroni statues and they will
tell you all about those above.
But relegated to the side, to a mere by-line if he is mentioned at all, Is

LaVar Wallgren. If he is remembered for anything, he is usually
mentioned as having helped Brother Quilter cast his fiberglass statues.
This is unfortunate, for as you will see, LaVar Wallgren’s contributions to

the Angel Moroni statues is as great or greater than that of most of the
other sculptors.
LaVar Wallgren was born 13 August 1932 in Midvale, Utah. He was the
second of six sons1 born to parents Elof Alexander Wallgren and Alice
Jones Wallgren. His older brother, Wayne Gordon, died at the age of one
year old, about a year before LaVar was born. LaVar was fond of art from
an early age, mentioning his fondness for art in his senior quote in his
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1951, about age 19
Know Your Moroni
Basic Training Photo,

Korean War, early 1950s
About 1980s
180 | P a g e
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high school yearbook.2
LaVar was drafted into the Korean War in his early twenties. While
serving in Japan during the war LaVar became determined to learn if the
faith he had been brought up in was true. The experience was one he
would later describe as being “glorious.”3 After gaining a personal
testimony of the Church, it became his life’s desire to want to do
something to help build the kingdom of God on earth.4
Sometime after the end of his service, Wallgren went to work

construction, perhaps thinking that one day it might give him the
opportunity to work for the Church in that field. Despite being involved
in construction, he received a strong impression that he would
eventually work for a specific company building fiberglass boats. Not to
long after he became sick with rheumatic fever. His doctor pressured
him to change careers, at which point, he found himself working in the
boatyard he had been impressed to work for years before.5
Having grown up as a self-taught artist, it was not long before he began

to turn his thoughts to ways he could apply the same fiberglass methods
he was learning at the boatyard to art. Each job he had after that left
him with new training an experience that would carry him to his
eventual goal. 6
When Karl Quilter approached him about collaborating on casting

sculptures in fiberglass, both of them already had the necessary
background, understanding, and experience necessary to make the
creative leap. What would follow was a lifelong partnership between
Quilter, an artist and industrial designer by training, and Wallgren, an
artist at heart and a master with fiberglass.7
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5-foot 10-inch Angel

Moroni, 1997
Temple Spires, 1980s
182 | P a g e
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As they began work on their first projects, Quilter’s statue “The Release
of Aphrodite,”8 and the new tower spires for the Assembly hall9 being
just two examples, they were able to develop a unity necessary to
quickly and seamlessly go from concept to finished product. Wallgren
commented on the necessity of their close working partnership when he
said that "You may have to change the artwork so the mold will come
free. To make these adjustments, you must have friendship and unity
between two artists."10
Wallgren and Quilter did all their work together under a single roof. Karl
would sculpt the statue’s in clay on site, LaVar would build seems into
the statue for the mold. The mold would be created, and the fiberglass
resin pieces cast. The pieces were sandblasted and assembled. All was
done onsite, unlike previous sculptors, who would send their molds
cross country to a foundry to be cast.11
One of the first Jobs that Wallgren’s Studio did was the spires on the
assembly hall. The original wooden spires were beginning to rot, and
Wallgren’s company made replacement spires for the hall’s towers out
of fiberglass that were replicas of the originals.12
Another early project the pair of Quilter and Wallgren worked on at

Wallgren’s Studios were the white spires seen on each of the “standard
plan” temples built in the 1980’s that had the 6 detached towers with
white spires atop them.13
LaVar was asked, along with friend and business partner James Dell
Morris14 to recreate the carved stone needed for the reconstruction of
the Nauvoo Illinois Temple.15 This magnificent feat was accomplished
through examining the remains of the last existing stones and carving
segments of the original temple, then comparing these actual fragments
and pieces to written descriptions and the few remaining plans from the
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Star Stones, Nauvoo
Illinois
Sun Stones, Nauvoo

Illinois
Moon Stones, Nauvoo

Illinois
184 | P a g e
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temple.16 Wallgren and Morris then recreated the needed stones in

fiberglass, creating a pattern for each carving. The patterns were then
shipped to the stone quarry. At the Quarry, the patterns were laser
scanned, and a CNC machine was used to remove most of the stone for
the new carved pieces. After the rough machining, the rest of the stone
was shaped and removed by skilled craftsmen.17
For the Moonstones and Star Stones, existing complete pieces were
available from which measurements could be made, and new fiberglass
patterns could be created.18
The Sunstones of the Nauvoo Temple created a bigger challenge for the
duo. Existing sunstones were degraded enough that details were difficult
to see. Remaining fragments did not match up with descriptions and
other available information. In the end they made the stones as close as
possible.19
The biggest task by far for the pair was the oxen for the temple. They
began with a pair of oxen at This is the Place State Park. The y took
numerous photos of the two oxen, combined with diagrams of muscle
structure. They applied their reference material to descriptions of the
original Stone oxen for the temple, and only four remaining stone
fragments. The ears and horns of the oxen were created as separate
pieces in order to make sculpting easier for the craftsmen. The horns are
polished, unlike the rest of the oxen, which has a matte finish.20
As each of the oxen, moonstones, starstones, and sunstones was hand

finished, each has a slightly different look, making each one a unique
creation reflecting the skill of the individual sculptor.
Brother Wallgren had the opportunity to have his name attached to two
of the Angel Moroni statues used on temples. The first is Karl Quilter’s
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Oxen, Nauvoo Illinois
Cowboy on Horse, date

unknown
186 | P a g e
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1982 statue, of which LaVar Wallgren is a co-signer.
The second statue was one all his own.
Though not classically trained as an artist or sculptor, Wallgren was

asked to come up with a life-size Angel Moroni for the smaller temples,
one that would be smaller than the other molds already in use. He knew
upon being asked that it would have a scroll, like the angel mentioned in
Revelation 14:6-7. He sketched then sculpted the new statue, which was
approved by the First Presidency. The new statue was 5’ 11”, with the
face of a much younger man than the other statues. It was originally
intended to be white, rather than gold leafed, but the only white statue
placed, on Monticello Utah Temple, proved to be difficult to see against
the clouds. The Monticello temple statue was then replaced with the 7-
foot Quilter Statue. The five remaining statues were given gold leaf
before being placed on temples.21
Assembly hall tower Salt Lake Temple 1981

cupolas Square
Angel Moroni, 7 ft. 90+ Temples 1982
(Assisting Karl worldwide
Quilter)
Angel Moroni 5 ft. 10 5 Temples worldwide, 1997
in Church History
Museum Storage
Nauvoo Temple Oxen, Nauvoo, Illinois 1999
Star Stones, Moon
Stones, Sun Stones
(With J. Dell Morris)
1
“Alice Jones Wallgren.” The Salt Lake Tribune, 11 May 1999.
2
“LaVar Elof Wallgren.” FamilySearch, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.
3 Deseret News, Cala Byram. “A Life-Size Moroni.” Deseret News, Deseret News, 23 May
1998.
4
Hart, John L. “Statues Sculpted in Fiberglass.” Deseret News, 4 Sept. 1983, pp. 8–13.
P a g e | 187
Know Your Moroni
5
Hart, John L..
6
Hart, John L..
7
Hart, John L..
8
Dibble, Gregory. “Paper Shortage May Chalk up a Gain for Artist.” The Salt Lake Tribune,
30 Dec. 1973, p. E3.
9
“New Spires Brighten Old Hall,” Church News, 18 July 1981; also, Roe, Frederick Robert
1920-. Angels: Moroni and his associates / Fred Roe [Bountiful, Utah]: The Author, 1992
May 1992 printing, p 49. (accessed: 5 September 5 2018).
10
Hart, John L..
11
Hart, John L..
12
“New Spires Brighten Old Hall”.; also, Roe
13
Hart, John L..
14
James Dell Morris also has a history with Angel Moroni statues, though a smaller one
than other artists in this book. Like Quilter, Morris submitted a statue for consideration for
the Washington D.C. Temple, both of them losing out to Fairbanks’s Submission. Morris also
signed the bottom of Quilter’s 1985 Angel Moroni Statue as an assistant.
15 Moore, Carrie A. “Resurrecting a Temple.” Deseret News, Deseret News, 2 July 2000,
16 Moore, Carrie A.
17 Moore, Carrie A.
18 Moore, Carrie A.
19 Moore, Carrie A.
20 Moore, Carrie A.
21 Byram, Cala.
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A 62-year span of time occurred between the placement of the Salt Lake
Temple Moroni and the placement of the second Angel Moroni on Los
Angeles Temple. During that time, eight temples were built and
dedicated without an Angel Moroni statue. Additionally, the time
between the second (Los Angeles) and the third (Washington D.C.) Angel
Moroni placements comprised 19 years. Five additional temples were
built and dedicated in that time, again without Angel Moroni statues.
The tradition of placing Moroni statues on every temple really began

with the Atlanta Georgia Temple in 1982. Though the previous three
temples to be dedicated, (Tokyo Japan, Jordan River, and Seattle
Washington) each had statues, the Atlanta Temple was initially designed
to have neither an angel nor a spire.1 By this point, there had been 20
temples built and dedicated. And of those 20, only five of them had
Angel Moroni Statues. Three of them did not even have spires, so this
new design was hardly a departure from tradition.
Upon the public release of the artists render of the Atlanta Georgia
temple A writer for the “Faith & Values” section of the Atlanta Journal-
Constitution declared that with the lack of spire and statue the design
was not up to “Mormon Temple” standards.2
The review was forwarded to the First Presidency by Church Public

Affairs Director for Atlanta, Donald Conkey. Then, on January 1982 a
new design was unveiled. The new design now featured a spire and a
gold statue of the Angel Moroni at the top.3 It is by no means certain
that public opinion was the factor that brought the spire and statue into
being. There is some indication that the Brethren were becoming more
acutely aware of the influence the statue could create as an identifier
and symbol of a temple.4 The timing can be difficult to discount,
however.
This Moroni tradition has continued nearly unbroken for thirty years.
Between the dedication of the Atlanta Georgia Temple (1983,) and the
dedication of the spire-less and statue-less Paris France Temple (2017)
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Three Temples were dedicated without Angel statues: Sydney Australia,

Boston Massachusetts, and Freiberg Germany.
In the Case of Sydney Australia, a lawsuit over the inclusion of the statue
was ruled in favor of the Church about a year after the Dedication, and
the Church wasted no time getting a statue atop the spire, placing it the
day after the ruling came through.5
For Boston Massachusetts, the lawsuit was over not just the statue, but
the overall height of the spire.6 Similar to the situation at Sydney, the
court decision was overruled by a higher court and the Church jumped
on the opportunity to finish the then dedicated temple as planned.7 The
spire was completed to height and the angel placed about a year after
the temple’s dedication.8
Of the three temples without a Moroni at Dedication during this time,

the only true stand out was Freiberg Germany.
That the Church was allowed to build a temple in what was then
Communist East Germany, came as quite a surprise to the Church
Leadership, who had never even been able to get approval to let
members leave the country for short trips to the Bern Switzerland
Temple.9 That the communist government was actually requesting that
the Church Build the temple was an even greater surprise.10 While the
First Presidency jumped at the opportunity, there was also a very real
concern that the government might change its mind, so the temple,
which under other circumstances would have been built with the best
possible materials, was instead built with average materials in case the
government might seize it later.11 With that thinking in mind, it should
come as no surprise that the decision was made not to include a statue.
While the Statue’s themselves are relatively cheap in comparison to
some materials often found in a temple, it would have given the
impression that the Temple as a whole was worth more monetarily than
it is spiritually.
With the dedication of the Atlanta Temple in 1983 the statue finally
reached the point of coming into regular use. Of the next 137 temples
designed and built since Atlanta Georgia all but one were designed to
have Angel Moroni Statues. It wasn’t until the placement of the 16th
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The original statue-less Freiberg

Germany Temple
194 | P a g e
statue on the 29th temple of the Church, the Manila Philippines temple,
11 February 1984 that temples with the statue were outnumbered by
temples with the statue.
The statue placed atop the Atlanta Georgia Temple in the second week
of August 1983 was the first ever fiberglass statue used on a temple.
Created as a test of a new method developed by Quilter and Wallgren,
this statue was molded from the Washington D.C. Chapel Statue created
by Torleif Knaphus back in the 1930’s. Every temple to follow for the
next 3 decades would feature a statue created through this method.
Just a month after the Angel Moroni Statue was placed upon Atlanta, a
second identical statue was lifted by Helicopter into place atop the
square tower spire of the Idaho Falls Idaho Temple.12
This placement marked a collection of firsts:
• It was the first time a statue had been placed on a temple after it
was dedicated.
• It was the First time a Helicopter had been used to place an Angel
Statue.
• Besides being the first temple to receive an Angel Moroni after
dedication, it was also the only one of the post-dedication additions
that was NOT a copy of Quilter’s 1985 statue.13
Since the construction of the Atlanta Temple, statues have been added
to seven of the 15 original statue-less temples, Including Idaho Falls. The
trend, despite the 1983 placement in Idaho, began in the 2000’s under
the direction of President Hinckley. During his tenure he oversaw the
placement of 6 more statues on Temples that had been dedicated
decades before.
It started in Freiberg Germany in 2001. President Hinckley’s challenge to

have 100 temples by the end of the year 2000 had already been
successful. The Freiberg Germany Temple was then undergoing an
expansion that would see the front and spire of the temple moved
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Freiberg Germany
Temple after
addition of Angel
Statue
Idaho Falls Idaho Temple

with its Angel Statue
196 | P a g e
forward about 45 feet.14 As part of this renovation and expansion an

angel Moroni statue would be added to the temple for the first time
ever. On 20 December 2001 a 7-foot fiberglass replica of Karl Quilter’s
1982 statue was added to the top of the spire replacing a thin narrow
pole of similar height that had stood atop the spire for the previous 16
and a half years.15
The next temple to retroactively receive a statue was Ogden Utah

Temple 18 November 2002. The Temple was in the undergoing a
renovation to the grounds. Amongst the changes to the landscaping,
removal of large trees too close to the temple, new plants and new
sidewalks, The Church brought in a crane and removed the uppermost 2
portions of the spire, about 10-12 feet worth. These portions of the spire
had been gilded, while all the lower sections had been painted a golden
color. 30 years and 10 months after the Temples dedication in January of
1972 an Angel Moroni Statue was lifted into place where the upper spire
segments had been. This statue, a copy of Karl Quilter’s 1985 statue is 10
feet tall and faces east. After the placement of the statue, the remainder
of the spire was painted white.16
About a 6 months later the Provo Utah Temple, then still a twin to the
Ogden Temple, received the same spire treatment as Ogden. No
landscaping was changed at that time, but again, the upper gilded
segments of the spire were removed, and the lower remaining segments
of the spire painted white. On the 12 of May 2003, 31 years and 3
months after the temples February dedication, another copy of Quilter’s
1985 statue was placed on the temple and arranged facing East South
East.17
São Paulo Brazil Temple would receive a third copy of this statue on 20
August of that same year. In São Paulo’s case, the entire temple was
undergoing a long-term renovation that would culminate early the next
year with an open house and rededication. Originally, the tall narrow
gilded spire had a black ornament atop its peak with a long pole above
it. This was removed, and a few more feet of the gilded portion of the
spire were removed. In all, an estimated 25 feet of the spire were
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Ogden Utah Temple

(top); Provo Utah Temple
(middle), Sao Paulo
Brazil Temple (bottom)
198 | P a g e
removed. On 20 August of 2003 another 10-foot Quilter Statue was

moved into position on the spire peak. The statue was placed 24 years
and nine months after the original dedication and faces South East by
South.18
The top of the Tokyo Japan Temple

spire was removed and an Angel
added on 10 December of 2004, 24
years and 2 months after the
dedication. The spire top, originally a
tall thin spire with progressively
shorter steps, was removed in its
entirety.
In its place, the spire is now capped by

a silver half dome. Atop that is a
silver-colored inverted pyramid,
topped with a fiberglass spire topper
from the Hinckley area small temples, and a fiberglass copy of Karl
Quilters 1985 statue.
2 years later the Bern Switzerland temple reached its 50th anniversary
(also known as a “golden” anniversary). As part of the Celebratory
events the section of the spire, a wand like pole at the spires top, was
removed, and on 7 September of 2005 a copy of Quilter’s 10-foot statue
from 1985 was placed atop the spire. The placement came 49 years, 11
months and 27 days after the dedication, just 4 days shy of 50 full
years.19
The last temple to have had a belated statue placement was the London
England Temple. Coming 3 years after the Bern Switzerland Temple
placement, The London Temple also received a statue as part of its 50th
anniversary. In London’s case an estimated 15 to 20 feet of the spire was
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Bern Switzerland Temple
Know Your Moroni
London England Temple
200 | P a g e
removed to form a suitable perch for the Statue. It was lifted into
position on 15 December 2008 by helicopter, only the third time that a
helicopter had been used for a statue placement. The placement came
50 years, 3 months and 8 days after the original dedication of the
temple.20
1 “Seven New Temples; Now 28 in Use or Planned.” Deseret News, Church News, 5 Apr.
1980, pp. 10–11.

2 Speed, Billie Cheney. “Mormons Pick Sandy Springs for Temple.” Atlanta Constitution, 5
July 1980, p. 16.

3 As retold by Rick Satterfield on ChurchOfJesusChristTemples.org
4 Roe, Frederick Robert 1920-. Angels: Moroni and his associates / Fred Roe [Bountiful,
Utah]: The Author, 1992 May 1992 printing, p 49. (accessed: 5 September 5 2018)
5 “LDS Scene.” Ensign, Nov. 1985.
6 “Superior Court Rules on Steeple for New Temple in Boston.” Church News, Deseret News,
2 Mar. 2000.
7 “High Court Rules in Favor of Steeple for Boston Temple.” Church News, Deseret News, 18
May 2001.
8 Stahle, Shaun D. “Moroni Statue Placed atop Trio of Temples.” Church News, Deseret
News, 29 Sept. 2001.

9 Boone, David F., and Richard O. Cowan. “The Freiberg Germany Temple: A Latter-Day
Miracle.” Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University.

10
Boone, Cowan.
11 Kuehne, Raymond M. “The Freiberg Temple: An Unexpected Legacy of a Communist
State and a Faithful People.” Dialogue, vol. 37, no. 2, 2003, p. 121.,18)
12
Eaton, Nate. “WATCH: Crews Install Angel Moroni Back on Top of Idaho Falls Temple.”
East Idaho News, 12 Apr. 2017.
13
As mentioned before, both Sydney Australia and Boston received statues after
dedication. Boston received a non-Quilter Statue; however, the temple was intended to
have a statue when designed.
14
Based off before and after measurements of satellite photography in Google Earth.
15
Freedman, Eugene, and Claire Freedman. “Angel Statue Added to Freiberg Temple.”
Church News, Deseret News, 11 Jan. 2002.
16 “Ogden Utah Temple to Receive Improvements, Moroni Statue.” Church News, Deseret

17
“Statue Finds Home atop Provo Utah Temple.” Church News, Deseret News, 15 May
2003.
18
Assis, Fernando. “Sao Paulo Temple Ready for Re-Dedication.” Church News, Deseret
News, 30 Jan. 2004.
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19
Stahle, Shaun D. “Swiss Temple: Dedication a Bold Act of Faith.” Church News, Deseret
20
Swinton, Heidi. “Angel Moroni Takes Flight.” Church News, Deseret News, 19 Dec. 2008.
202 | P a g e
The Dedication of Paris France Temple in 2017 seems to mark the

beginning of a shift away from the tradition of putting a statue on every
single temple.
The best way to examine this is to look at it as a timeline. Starting with

the Atlanta Georgia Temple dedication in 1983, we can look at what was
going on with the statues globally. Before Atlanta kicked off the new
fiberglass statue tradition, there were 20. Temples in the world. Of those
20 temples, 5 of them had the statue atop their peak. One of those 8,
Idaho falls, had just been added. So only 25% of temples had statues.
Over the next 34 years, we would add 135 temples, and 134 more
statues. Then, to add to that, statues would be added to 8 temples after
dedication. By the end of 2016, we would go from 25% of temples so
ornamented, to 95% of temples including the statue.
Then, around 2017, things began to change. That year, the Paris France
Temple was dedicated, and due to local zoning laws, the temple was
given neither spire nor statue. A few smaller temples would soon follow
in that same vein.
Then, in 2018, Russell M. Nelson became President of the Church. Like

Gordon B. Hinckley and Spencer W. Kimball, President Nelson resolved
to bring temples closer to the members. What would follow were
Conference after General Conference where President Nelson would
announce a minimum of 6, and a record breaking 12 temples in a single
announcement.
As renders for these new temples began to be released, Angel Moroni

Statues were few and far between. Some temples, such as Brasilia Brazil
and Harare Zimbabwe, would have renders leaked from early in the
development process. These early renders would have statues, but,
when the final official render would be released, the statue would be
notably absent.
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Some of the new wave of Statue-less temples: (top,) Paris France; (2nd row) Port-au-Prince
204Lima
Haiti, Praia Cabo Verde; (3rd row) Kinshasa Democratic Republic of the Congo, | P aPeru
g eLos
Olivos; (bottom,) Taylorsville Utah, Antofagasta Chile.
As of writing, we now have 21 temples dedicated, planned, or

announced that have a design not featuring an Angel Moroni Statue.
As of Publishing time, the history of statue use looks like this:

Range Years Temples % All Temples Without Moroni % Without
1877-1982 105 20 8.7% 15 75%
1983-2016 33 135 58.7% 2 1.6%
2017-2025 8 73 32.6% 51 68%
Dedicated 4 16 7% 3 18.8%
Under 8 44 19.3% 33 75%
Construction
Render 8 15 6% 15 100%
Released
Since 2017, more temples have been announced than in the first 105
years of temple construction. And more than half of those announced
temples have no statue. If you were to compare official renders released
by year for the last 10 years, and things become even more clear:
Year Renders Released With Statue Percent With
2011 7 7 100%
2012 2 2 100%
2013 2 2 100%
2014 2 1 50%
2015 7 6 86%
2016 2 2 100%
2017 3 2 67%
2018 3 2 67%
2019 12 7 58%
2020 22 2 9%
2021 21 0 0%
Of extra interest, during a city council meeting in Orem Utah, one of the
cities where Church membership is highest in the world. An early
elevation design for the temple was shown. One city Council member
noted the absence of the statue and indicated that he, for one, would
prefer the design included one. No other Councilmembers objected to
the statement, effectively clearing the way for a statue to be included
should the Church choose to do so.1 However, when the official render
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was released some months later, like most renders being released at
that time, the Orem Temple had no statue.2
Now this in no wise spells a complete and total end of the practice, but
to drop from 98% of all temples in a 34-year period having statues, to
79% over a TWO-YEAR PERIOD does seem to suggest a shift in design.
While we can, in the future, hope to see Angel Statue continue to be

occasionally placed on Temples, the rate, and percentage of those
temples to receive statues can be expected to go down. Especially as
smaller temples are placed in poorer and poorer countries.
On 29 January 20193 the Church announced that the Hong Kong China
Temple would close for an extensive renovation starting on 8 July of that
year. On 6 August 2019, one month after the Temple officially closed,
the Church released details and renders of the changes that would be
made not just to the temple’s interior, but to the exterior as well.4 The
most prominent change in the exterior render, and one which was
confirmed in the text of the article, was the complete removal of the
spire and the accompanying statue.5
No official reason was given for the removal, though rumors were more
than easy to find on the internet. These rumors ranged from potential
problems with the Chinese government, to the observation that the
spire was undersized for the buildings mass, though at the maximum
height for the local zoning. The observant individual noted that because
of the temple’s shape, one typically had to be a significant distance from
the temple to see the statue and spire.
During the Last Session of General Conference on 3 October 2021,

President Nelson made the announcement of 13 new temples
throughout the world. He finished his announcement by giving notice
that “reconstruction” of the Provo Utah Temple would begin once the
then under progress Orem Utah Temple was completed.6
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On 24 November 2021 an official render was released showing the

exterior of the new temple. While the footprint seems similar, the
overall mass of the temple has increased, in both width and height.
Noticeably absent from the temple is the Angel Moroni Statue that was
added in 2003. 7
As with Hong Long, there is no official reason, and there may be more
than one cause for the change.
James Rich, Senior Project Manager for the Church for the Lindon
Temple project, was asked in Lindon City Council Meeting why there was
no angel statue atop the Lindon Utah Temple:
"It's an interesting question, as you know, traditionally we have put

angels on many of the Church's temples over..., over many decades, and
the trend recently has been to shy away from that. Most of the new
temples now are not being designed with an Angel Moroni. Some of the
bigger..., we have one bigger plan than this it's the 4/80 that is going into
Saratoga and, Layton, and down in St. George, those are, some of the
very last ones with Moroni's, and most of the new ones, or ALL of the
new ones currently are not, are not... still…."
"It's a change in focus, a shift in focus by Church leaders a little bit to...,
to..., get a different focus." 8
While not an official statement, It's the closest thing we have so far. It
does indicate that this is a planned, and determined move away from
the statues, and that new plans across the board are not using the
statue any longer.
Guesses at policy changes aside, with the exception of Paris France

Temple and the future Hong Kong China Temple which have no spire, it
is conceivable that someday these new angel-less temples could join the
list of retroactively added statues. In fact, construction photos of the
angel-less Kinshasa Democratic Republic of the Congo Temple show that
the interior of the spire has a steel tube inside, which appears to be the
proper size for the post on an Angel Moroni Statue to slot into.9
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Know Your Moroni
The original Hong Kong

China Temple (above) with
spire and Angel, compared
to the new exterior (below)
lacking spire and statue
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This tube was used to attach the finial, and could someday be used to
attach a statue should a future president follow President Hinckley’s
thinking.
1
Genelle Pugmire “Orem City Council approves LDS Temple zone change,” Daily Herald, 15
April 2020
2
“Groundbreaking Date Announced for Orem Utah Temple,” Newsroom, 24 June 2020
3
“Asia Temple Will Close for Renovation.” Newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org, The Church
of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, 29 Jan. 2019.
4
“Church Releases Hong Kong China Temple Renovation Details,” Newsroom, Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 6 August 2019
5
“Church Releases Hong Kong China Temple Renovation Details,” Newsroom, Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 6 August 2019
6
Nelson, Russell M. “Make Time for the Lord.” Liahona, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-
Day Saints, 3 October 2021.
7
“Temple News & Updates | Week of 8 October 2017.” LDS Daily, 13 Oct. 2017.
8
James Rich, City Council Meeting, Lindon City, 21 June 2021.
9
“See Renderings for the Provo and Smithfield Temples.” Newsroom, Church of Jesus Christ
of Latter-day Saints, 24 November 2021,
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On 21 September 2001, The Church celebrated the 178th anniversary of

the appearance of Moroni to the Prophet Joseph Smith. Three temples
received an Angel Moroni statue on that day.1
The Nauvoo Illinois Temple was then under construction. 155 years
earlier the church was forced to abandon it and flee Nauvoo. Not long
after that, the original temple was gutted by arson. Shortly after that, 3
of the 4 sides of the temple were demolished by a tornado that did little
damage otherwise to the surrounding area. Now however, they were
nearing completion of the exterior of the new temple, and on that day a
new upright Angel Moroni statue was placed to an overjoyed crowd of
about 500 people.
The Hague Netherlands Temple received its angel as a small crowd

including local leaders looked on. The workers wore wooden shoes, a
tradition known as “het hoogste punt” (the highest point), a celebration
of reaching the highest point of construction.
At the Boston Massachusetts Temple there was no public notification

and no ceremony. The temple had already been dedicated but a five-
year long lawsuit, started well before the temple’s dedication, had
prevented the church from completing the spire. The lawsuit had
recently been resolved in the Church’s favor and no time was wasted in
completing the spire as had been originally planned. Over the course of
several days crews placed 2 prefabricated spire segments, one
completing the stone portion of the tower, the other adding a smaller
tower segment and spire in tin to the top of the tower. At the end of the
work, the crew intended to quietly add the Angel Moroni statue. Despite
the lack of public announcement, about 200 people showed up for the
occasion.
1
“Moroni Statue Placed atop Trio of Temples.” Church News, Deseret News, 29 Sept. 2001.
P a g e | 211
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Nauvoo Illinois (above) The

Hague Netherlands (middle)
and the Boston
Massachusetts Temple
(below) received their
statues on the same day.
212 | P a g e
As it is the highest point of what is sometimes the highest building for

some distance around, the Angel Moroni Statues must be built to
withstand lightning strikes. In the case of the fiberglass statues, which do
not naturally conduct electricity, the fiberglass shell is mounted around a
metal pole. Non/low conducting materials are used to attach the
fiberglass shell to the central pole. A metal spike or rod is attached at
the top of the pole; this rod is threaded out and replaced with an eye
bolt when the statue needs to be moved or replaced. At the bottom of
the pole, a woven copper fiber cable is connected and fed down through
the spire to a grounding point which, in turn, leads to the bare earth
under the temple. This usually safely conducts the lightning through the
temple to the ground but it is not a perfect process.
The original statue on the Mount Timpanogos temple had not been built
to specifications required to act as a lightning rod. In this case, metal
with a high level of conductivity had been used to attach the fiberglass
shell to its center support. According to a Temple Engineer1, during
thunderstorms it was not uncommon to see sparks crackling out of the
sphere, the elbow, the hand, or the trumpet during electrical storms.
This problem with the conductivity caused a lightning bolt to split the
statue’s face in half, vertically, roughly down the nose. The statue was
replaced in 2002.
In another instance, the lightning rod failed even though the statue had
been built correctly. During the Oquirrh Mountain Temple open house, a
bolt of lightning struck The Angel Moroni statue, glanced off the
lightning rod, hitting the trumpet bell. This strike blackened the trumpet,
arm and face of the Moroni. It was replaced just ten days before the
dedicatory service in 2009 with the addition of a second lightning rod
pointing out of the top of the trumpet. All statues now feature a second
lightning rod. Some feature this same style second rod, others use a
metal ring embedded in the fiberglass rim of the trumpet bell flare.2
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Veins of darker fiberglass show through between bits of gold leaf on the Mount Timpanogos
Temple statue as it was being replaced(top.) Lighting strikes darkened the face and arms of
the Oquirrh Mountain Utah (below, left) and the Nauvoo Illinois (bottom right) temples.
214 | P a g e
Damage has happened to multiple statues over the years due to

lightning strikes. This damage is expected, and as such the statues are
not as expensive as one might think based on their appearance. It is
better to have damage done to the statue than to the larger, more
expensive spire or other parts of the temple.3 In other words, even when
damaged, the statue does what it is intended to do.
On 28 June 2019 a lightning strike at the Nauvoo temple did damage

similar to that done at the Oquirrh Mountain statue ten years earlier. A
Lightning strike hitting at a peculiar angle glanced off the top of the
statue’s head, and appears to have struck the arm instead. The end
result was a reddish-brown fouling across the right arm and face of the
angel statue, plus the destruction of most of the trumpet between the
hand and the mouth. One witness to the event said smoke was coming
off the statue just after the event.4 A replacement statue, the same
model, was hoisted to the top of the tower on 12 November 2019.5
One of the more spectacular and widely reported instances of damage

to an Angel Moroni statue occurred at the Bountiful Utah Temple on 22
May 2016.6 Lightning struck the top of the statue, as had done many
times before. This time, however, something about the strike caused the
fiberglass to spilt apart. In a loud crack of thunder, a large portion of the
face was blasted off, along with an oval shaped section on the statues
back. Drone footage from the time shows the center pole of the statue
inside the black void. The damage necessitated a hurried emergency
replacement. On 1 June 2016, statue with a gold pedestal underneath
the ball arrived on site.7 The replacement had been intended for the
then under construction Meridian Idaho Temple. The pedestal under the
ball was sawed off, and the hole in the bottom of the ball cut to a square
shape so that the new statue could slot over the top of the spire.8
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(above) The Bountiful Utah Temple

Moroni, struck by a particularly
destructive bold of lightning, shown
missing much of its gold leaf (white
fiberglass showing through,) a
chunk out of the back, and half the
face.
(below) The Indianapolis Indiana
Temple missing a chunk from the
back of the lower robe.
216 | P a g e
Like the Bountiful Utah Temple a couple of years prior, a blast of

lightning at Indianapolis Indiana Temple caused the back of the Angel’s
robe to be cast off when the statue was struck on 19 May 2019.9
1
Interview by Brian Olson of Temple Engineer on Site during the statue swap out,
September 2002.
2
The Associated Press. “New LDS Temple's Angel Struck by Lightning.” Daily Herald, 15 June
2009.
3
“Bountiful Temple Angel Moroni Hit by Lightning.” Newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org, 7
June 2016.
4
“Nauvoo Temple Struck by Lightning, Angel Moroni Damaged.” LDS Living, 1 July 2019.
5
Joshua Ellis, “Nauvoo Temple’s Angel Moroni Statue Replaced,” KSL.com, 12 November
2019
6
“Bountiful Temple Angel Moroni Hit by Lightning.” Newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org, 7
June 2016.
7
Photo in article “Bountiful Temple Angel Moroni Hit by Lightning.”
Newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org, 7 June 2016.
8
Deseret News. “Bountiful Temple Gets a New Angel Moroni.” Deseret News, Deseret
News, 2 June 2016.
9
u/sweetcheesybeef. “r/LDS - The Indianapolis, IN Angel Moroni Was Struck by Lightning on
May 16. Yes, That's a Giant Hole.” Reddit.
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To make gold leaf, a piece of gold is rolled and flattened multiple times
until it is extremely thin and fragile. A Piece of gold the size of a US 50
cent piece, when turned to leaf, can cover about an acre of land.1 When
gold is that thin, it does not take much to cover the whole statue.
The gold leaf is a very effective covering for a statue. In Europe, leafing
has been used on statues for centuries. In many cases, gold leaf can be
more resilient and longer lasting than paint.2
Unfortunately, nothing lasts forever, and despite the resiliency of what is

essentially a solid coating of metal, eventually replacements must be
made. The statues are placed in the most extreme of weathers and
exposed to air pollution of all kinds. While the gold leaf is sealed after
placement to further protect it, the leaf does eventually fade, tarnish or
flake off.
Statues are refurbished one of two ways: Replacement, or Refinished in

place.
For the statues damaged by lightning, smaller temples, or statues

difficult to reach even with scaffolding, the statues will typically be
replaced with another of the same model every 15 or so years. The old
statue will be cleaned, refurbished, and sent on to another temple in a
kind of Moroni statue rotation. For example, a statue that is being
placed atop the Raleigh North Carolina Temple may have come off the
Birmingham Alabama Temple most recently.3 Then, the statue from
Raleigh would be sent to Salt Lake, where it would be refurbished and
sent back out to be swapped for the statue atop another temple.
On the larger temples the statue will often be refurbished in place. On

temples that use the older non-fiberglass statues, they are almost
always refurbished in place, and usually less frequently. These “in-place”
218 | P a g e
refurbishing will sometimes coincide with a cleaning and refurbishing of

the temple exterior as well.
The gilding on the statue is beautiful. It is a single layer of a single

element, with a sealing coat on it. It is resilient, but under the strain of
frequent lightning strikes, acid rain, and bird poop, it does break down.
Paint on the other hand, is a vehicle solution containing pigments and
binders. It is multi part, and as such, breaks down much quicker than the
single part crystalline metal structure of gold leaf. 4 While it lasts longer
than paint, and is ultimately less expensive as a consequence, it should
come as no surprise that efforts have been made to find an alternative.
One such effort, for example, was the creation of the white statues in
1999. Other efforts involved using paint instead of leaf.
Creation of a fiberglass statue is not always successful. Occasionally,

upon removing the fiberglass from the molds, a statue segment will fail
to come out in one piece. During his days running his studio, LaVar
Wallgren would save these sections of broken statues for a very specific
purpose.
Anytime a salesman would come to down with ‘the newest, greatest

replacement for gold leaf,’ Wallgren would buy a quart. Then he would
paint one of his fiberglass segments, and toss the pieces up on the roof.
Anytime the Church came to him with a replacement for gold, he would
paint a piece and toss it up on the roof as well.5
The end result was a real-world test lab for gold leaf alternatives right
above his own studio. The Church was welcome at any time to come on
down and examine the effectiveness of these latest and greatest
alternatives. The fact that 15 years after Wallgren’s passing Gold leaf is
still being used on the statues should be ample indication of how well
these miracle alternatives hold up to the real thing.6
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Mount Timpanogos Utah Temple

Statue being replaced, 2002. Note
the darker color on the lower half
of the statue where paint was
being tested.
220 | P a g e
Mike Enfeild worked for the Church in managing temple construction. In

1996 he had two busts of the Prophet Joseph Smith made from foam He
then asked Lavar Wallgren to gold leaf one, and finish the other in gold
automotive paint.
After seeing the two busts, the decision was made to try one statue in
the gold paint and use it on the Vernal Temple. The resulting statue,
placed 26 September 1996, looked good on sunny days, but looked
brown when it was overcast. The decision was made shortly thereafter
to replace the statue with a traditionally gold leafed one instead.
The following year architect Lee Gray, who was working on the
Conference Center came into Enfeild’s office and asked about the two
gold busts. Enfeild explained their purpose and the test with painting a
statue. Gray liked the auto body paint concept and used it on the organ
pipes in the new Conference Center.7
When it was time to make a statue for the Reno Temple, the decision
was made again to use the automotive paint (likely because of the high
winds and dust storms in the area.) The Reno statue, placed in early
2000, is still on the temple today and as recently as 2014 still had the
gold automotive paint. On 29 September 2014 the painted statue was
removed, a new gold leafed replica of the same model was slid into
place, and the painted statue was moved into storage.8
Another attempt at finding a replacement was made on the Mount

Timpanogos temple in 2003. The temple was undergoing an exterior
cleaning, with scaffolding all over the outside and up the spire.
The Angel statue was already in need of replacement, and the decision
was made to run a temporary paint test on it before it was replaced. The
bottom half of the statue was painted with a high-quality gold paint,
then left to weather while the temple exterior was cleaned.
The end result held up well to the weather. However, it was decided that
it had too much of a green cast to it, and the experiment was
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discontinued. In photos of the old statue being removed (previous page,)

the bottom half of the statue is a darker color than the rest of the
statue. As the rest of the statue is missing most of the Gold leaf due to
weather, the new paint would have been much darker than traditional
gold leaf.9
To date there have been 2 attempts to reduce the cost of the statue by
doing away with the gold color all together. The advantage of this
method of cost reduction is that you don’t have to worry about how
much the alternative does or does not look like Gold. It can have
drawbacks, as the first attempt shows.
LaVar Wallgren was tasked with coming up with a new statue for
President Hinckley’s new small temples in 1997. His statue was unique in
several of its features, but the most striking change was that this new
smaller, cheaper statue was white.
The idea was interesting. Just like there is no rule that the temple must
have an angel statue atop its peak, nowhere does it say that the statue,
when included, must be gold colored. Gold produces vibrant color, and
the reflective metal can shift looks through the day as shadows and
highlights dance across the surface. Color can change as it reflects and
absorbs color form it’s environments.
It also can look good no matter how bright or dull the sunlight is. It is this
last point that proved to be an issue for the white state. Only one was
placed, atop the Monticello Temple, on 14 May 1998.
Once the statue was placed, it did not take long to find that the statue
did not reflect light the same way the gold leaf does. What would have
been deep shadows and bright highlights with a gilded statue was more
flat and even across the face of the whole statue. On cloudy days, the
white was as effective as camouflage, causing the statue to disappear in
a sense from view entirely.
222 | P a g e
As a consequence, the first white statue was also the last. It was
replaced with a larger, gilt statue on 25 May 1999, one year and 11 days
after it was placed.
While not explicitly done as a cost cutting measure, one other non-gilt
statue has been placed in the history of the statues. And that one was
more recently. On 15 April 2021 an Angel Moroni statue was placed atop
the spire of the Abidjan Ivory Coast Temple. Unlike any other statue that
had been placed before, it was Silver.
There are many ways to make fiberglass silver. Besides paint, fiberglass
can be chromed. There are also various methods of metal leaf that have
a silver appearance, such as silver and aluminum.
With the Abidjan Statue, the temple is covered in Palladium Leaf.

Palladium is more resilient than Gold Leaf. It should hold up better to
the elements than gold leaf. It is also a one-off thing. No tother silver
statues are currently planned. It was felt that the Gold would be too
flashy for the setting and design of the temple, so the silver color
alternative was chosen instead.10
1
Joyce “Angel Moroni Statue Lifted into Place,” bctemple.blogspot.com, 21 July 2011.
Accessed 11 June 2015
2
Interview by Brian Olson of Aaron Allen, painter, gilder, 10 August 2019
3 “Angel Moroni Statue Replaced on Raleigh Temple,”
LDSColdsboroStakeNews.wordpress.com, 22 May 2014.

4
Aaron Allen
5
Aaron Allen
6
Aaron Allen
7
Mike Enfield, email to Marvin Quist, 15 February 2017
8
Temple Engineer phone interview, Marvin Quist, 13 August 2019
9
Interview by Brian Olson of Temple Engineer on Site during the statue swap out,
September 2002.
10
Interview with Private Source, Marvin Quist, 25 January 2022
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On most of the statues, fiberglass and metal, the statue and the trumpet
are two separate pieces. This has led to some problems when
earthquakes have struck.
On 3 March 1985 an earthquake measuring about 8.0 shook The

Santiago Area. Power and other utilities were shut down throughout the
city. At the Santiago Temple, dedicated just 3 years prior, the only
damage was that it shook loose some plaster on the interior walls of the
temple and tossed the trumpet for the Angel Statue into a flower bed
below. The trumpet was reattached using a firetruck and re-secured.1
On 27 February 2010, an earthquake pulled the trumpet out of the hand

of the Angel Moroni statue again.2 Due to the need to occasionally
refurbish the gold leaf on the statues and a remodel to the temple
completed just 4 years prior, this was most likely not the same statue
from the 1985 earthquake. The temple itself was left unharmed. This
time the trumpet, worth probably about 60 dollars in materials, was
apparently stolen, and had to be replaced.
The Apia Samoa Temple lost the trumpet from its Moroni during an
earthquake and a tsunami on 29 September 2009. No damage was done
to the recently rebuilt temple; however, the statue lost its trumpet.3 The
trumpet itself was, according to at least on local account, stolen by
someone who must have figured the gold could be easily recovered.4
Whether true or not, the statue was replaced in February of the
following year.5
The Tokyo Japan Temple lost its trumpet during an earthquake in 2005.6
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In the March 2011 Japan earthquake, the Tokyo Temple Moroni rotated
90 degrees clockwise, causing the statue to face in line with the front
door.7
During the 15 October 2013 earthquake in the Philippines, the Cebu City
Temple Angel Moroni statue turned 90 degrees as well.8
Both the Cebu City Philippines Temple and the Tokyo Japan Temple have
since had the statue returned to its original placement.
Due to these incidents, newer Angel Moroni statues have the trumpet
bolted to the right hand through the palm.
Making headlines through the whole world, the Salt Lake Angel Moroni
lost its trumpet during an early morning earthquake on 18 March 2020.
The 5.2 earthquake, not only caused the trumpet to fall, but the spire
tops on most of the other 5 spires broke loose and shifted. The temple
was in the early stages of a year’s long renovation, and removal of the
spire tops had been planned for the late stages. The earthquake
necessitated their early removal instead.
The trumpet landed in top set of parapets for the center east spire. It
was badly twisted in the fall.
1
Rae Olson, personal account submission to LDS-GEMS, via “Santiago Chile Temple”,
crockettclan.org; “earthquake.” the Church News, 01 March 2010. Retrieved November 23,
2020
2
Weaver, Sarah Jane., & Taylor, Scott., “LDS missionaries safe, accounted for in areas
affected by earthquake,” Deseret News, 28 February 2010, Retrieved November 23, 2020,
3
Swensen, Jason. “Quake, Tsunami Take Samoan Members' Lives.” Church News, Deseret
News, 4 June 2018,
4
Matthew. “Adaptation.” Matt's Samoa Blog, 20 Dec. 2009.
5
Observer News, 11 February 2010.
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6
Anderson, Taylor B. Trumpetless Angel, Tokyo Japan, 23 July 2005. Email from the
Missionary’s mother to Rick Satterfield.
7
“Some Missionaries Not Accounted for in Japan,” abc4.com
8
Walch, Tad, “LDS missionaries ran to safety during quake in Philippines,” Deseret News, 16
October 2013.
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Tragedy occurred during a remodel of the Apia Samoa Temple. The

temple was nearing completion of an overhaul that would add rooms to
the temple and update the mechanical systems when a fire broke out.
Workers had already gone home for the evening on 9 July 2003 and no
one was injured.1 This was the first time in church history that an
operational temple was completely destroyed by fire. Members were
given hope through the night by the fact the Angel Moroni was still
visible despite the intense heat of the fire. In the morning, the temple
was completely destroyed, yet the Angel Moroni statue was not harmed.
After the temple was rebuilt, the original and refurbished Angel Moroni
statue was placed on the rededicated temple.2
1
Trost, Taralyn. “Fire Destroys Samoa Temple.” Ensign, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-
Day Saints, Sept. 2003,
2
“Statue of Angel Moroni Placed on Temple.” Church News, Deseret News, 4 Feb. 2005,
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Apia Samoa Temple as it would

have looked post 2003
renovation(above), had the fire
not destroyed it (right.)
The temple was rebuilt in a

newer, more efficient design and
rededicated in 2005 (below.)
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Salt Lake had the first statue in 1892 of course, and Los Angeles had the
second in 1954. But things could have been a bit different. 1
During the design period of the Mesa Arizona temple back in the early
1920s, the Church requested designs from multiple architects. One of
those architects, Pope and Burton, submitted an entry that had an Angel
Statue similar to the One on Salt Lake. Pope and Burton had already
designed the Laie Hawaii and Cardston Alberta Temples. Their
submission for Mesa was more ornate than the other two designs, with
detailed window ornamentation, and a short central tower topped with
a trumpeted statue.
Pope and Burton were not the only ones with such ideas. Young and
Hansen, the team who would create the winning design for Mesa
Arizona, went through several design ideas and studies. for the temple
before settling on the final submission. Amongst these design ideas
where two that look like they might have been intended to have the
statue, and one that absolutely did have the statue.
At this point in time, there were only six other temples in the world, and
of those six, only Salt Lake had an angel statue, so, design wise, the
suggestion to include a statue was quite the departure from the normal.
This temple, like Salt Lake and the future Los Angeles Temple, would
have been built prior to the days when large scale fabrication would
allow statues to be cast over and over again. So, it is most likely that this
statue would have needed to be one-time unique creation had the
Church chosen to use the statue topped idea.
1
Paul L. Anderson, “Desert Imagery and Sacred Symbolism: The Design of the Arizona
Temple,” Journal of Mormon History, vol. 31, no. 1, 2005, pp. 71–98. JSTOR,
www.jstor.org/stable/23289248. Accessed 26 Nov. 2020.
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Pope and Burton submission,
featuring an Angel Statue
Know Your Moroni
Early Young and Hansen Study,

also featuring a statue.
Additional Young and Hansen study’s (may have had the statue, more likely not)
232 | P a g e
The construction of the Ogden and Provo Temples brought several new
ideas to the practice of building temples. Reusing a floorplan but
changing the exterior (something the Church now does frequently.) High
efficiency layouts allow more people to use a temple in a single day than
ever before. An economy in construction and materials that would allow
the Church to construct multiple temples across the world.
The design process for these two temples would once again bring
attention back to Angel Moroni Statues. One early render for Ogden,
and two early renders for Provo show the angel Moroni perched atop
the narrow spire. This would have been no small feat as the only two
statues placed at that point weighed thousands of pounds and required
thick bulky spires to support the weight.
However, even then, the use of a Fiberglas statue at the World’s Fair
“Mormon Pavilion” in New York hinted at alternative methods that
might allow for the spire to have a statue. For cost and economy reasons
the Angels were eliminated from the design, and the next generation of
temples would look into eliminating the spire as well.
Ogden was temple 14, and Provo was number 15. Of the 13 other
temples in the world, only two, Salt Lake, and Los Angeles had statues.
The suggestion to include them would, once again, indicate a departure
from normal practice.
Like the Mesa Temple design, these temples were built before the
Church had the ability to mass produce Angel Moroni Statues, so it can
only be assumed that unique statues would need to have been made for
each temple, or for this pair of temples alone.
Opposite Page: (top) Emil Fetzer’s render for the Ogden Utah Temple; (middle
and bottom) two of Emil Fetzer’s renders for the Provo Temple, showing slightly
different temple exterior designs (top like Ogden, bottom like final Provo.) Both
renders show the statue atop the spire.
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During planning for the Washington D.C. Temple, the church invited
prominent LDS sculptors to submit designs for the Angel Moroni that
would top the east center spire.1
One source states that nine sculptors submitted statuettes for

consideration. A different article in the 10 July 1971 issue of the Church
News states that there were eight statuettes submitted by prominent
sculptors. However, to date, 9 statues have been identified as having
been submitted for consideration.
As far as I have been able to identify, this is a unique situation. With

other statues, both before and after, the Church has chosen one sculptor
and approached them with the commission for the Angel Moroni.
Of the eight statues submitted, the Church settled upon the statue
submitted by Avard Fairbanks. Aside from Avard Fairbanks, statues were
also submitted by
• Dallas J. Anderson
• Justin F. Fairbanks (Avard Fairbanks son)
• Edward J. Fraughton
• Franz M. Johansen
• J. Dell Morris
• Dennis V. Smith
• Karl A. Quilter (would later sculpt 3 additional statues)
Facing Page, the 8 statues not chosen for the D.C. Temple The statue in the
bottom right-hand corner has been positively identified as Karl Quilter’s
submission. Which sculptor submitted each of the others is still unknown.
1
“Angel Moroni Statue Chosen for Temple” Church News, 10 July 1971.
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On 4 April 1999 during the closing session of General Conference,

President Hinckley announced that the Historic Nauvoo Temple would
be rebuilt to match the 1846 appearance, with some minor changes.
One of those minor changes, turned out to be at the top of the dome on
the stately tower.
The original tower was topped with a weather vane in the shape of an
angel. This angel, rather than being a flat cutout of an angel has been
described as “a finely produced three-dimensional shape appearing
almost humanlike”.
When it came to decide on what to place on the top of the

reconstructed temple, the Church approached Karl Quilter for design
proposals. One of the designs was a multidimensional shape,
representing as closely as possible the original Nauvoo weather vane.1
Another design he presented, was another 3-dimensional weathervane.

It was in a run-like pose, appears to be flying, and is more reminiscent of
the scripture in the book of Revelation than the full upright angel we
typically see.2 While more similar to Quilters other statues, it was still
rather unique.
In the end, the design that President Hinckley decided upon was a new
standing statue, like Brother Quilters other statues. At President
Hinckley’s request, the left hand of the statue was made to be open. This
open hand lands an additional sense of motion to the statue.
It has been reported far and wide, online and in print that this statue is a
larger scale version of a small statuette that Brother Quilter originally
sculpted for his grandchildren as a gift to be presented when they
finished reading the scriptures. This is not the case, as that particular
statue is closer in design to Brother Quilter’s 10-foot statue than it is to
the Nauvoo Temple.
1
According to information provided by Marvin Quist, original source unknown
2
Rosner, Jannalee. “‘Super Moroni’ Statue Almost Appeared on Nauvoo Temple, Sculptor's
Son Recalls.” LDS Living, 27 Oct. 2016,
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The modern weathervane proposal

(above) and original weathervane
recreation (below,) both built as
proposals for the Nauvoo Illinois
Temple
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There are some times where, for whatever reason, a statue will be
placed facing one direction, then turned to face another at a latter point
in time. Here are three such stories.
A Quick look at a satellite image or a map will show you that the Los
Angeles Temple was built facing generally South East, towards Sunset
Boulevard, which it was constructed on. At the direction of the Architect,
Edward O. Anderson, the statue was placed on the temple facing the
same direction as the front door.
However, President David O. McKay, then president of the Church, had

other ideas. After the statue was settled, he directed that it should be
taken out and turned 90 degrees counter clockwise. The statue now
faces North East, with the Trumpet facing due east.
This particular statue rotation, being the second statue ever placed, has
led to a belief that all Angel Statues must face east, as the statue was
rotated to an eastward direction similar to the Salt Lake Temple Statue.
Millard Malin, in his autobiography states that the statue was rotated for
a different, and very specific reason. Malin says that that once the statue
was placed, it was found that when observing the temple from the
Visitors Center the statue had his back directly to visitors. He says the
statue was rotated 90 degrees, specifically, so the statue would present
a better view to the Visitors Center as well as those approaching the
temple from the front.1
In his book More Faith Than Fear: The Los Angeles Stake Story Author
Chad M. Orton relates a story of a neighbor of the temple construction
that is oft repeated with varied details. According to Orton:
The story was told of a neighbor who lived east of the temple
and who was asked if she had visited the temple grounds. She
replied, “No, I’m waiting until the angel turns around and
faces me.” She later said, “Imagine my surprise when I woke
up one morning and discovered that the angel was looking
right down my street.”
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Some versions of the story indicate the neighbor joined the church due
to the coincidence, but so far there is no documented evidence to prove
that.
When the Angel Moroni statue was installed upon the east most spire
late in August or September of 1984, it was placed in line with the east
most face of the spire it sat upon, placing it facing East North East.
Shortly after placement, the Architect requested it be turned 90 degrees

to face Johannesburg. Unfortunately, the angel had been glued into
place. In order to accommodate the move, the Temple Engineer had to
crawl into the hollow space inside the spire tower, and loosen the bolts
holding the top, white portion of the spire in place. Then a crane was
able to lift both the spire top and the Angel together, and both were
rotated 90 degrees and lowered back into place.2
The Angel Moroni at the Spokane Washington Temple was originally

placed on 21 April 1999. Like many other temples, the statue on this
temple was placed facing east. However, the doors on the temple face
west. Consequently, this angel, like some others, faced away from
patrons as they entered the temple. While this is not typically an issue,
the shortness of this temple made it more apparent, and President
Gordon B. Hinckley requested the statue be turned to face west during a
replacement in May of 2009.3
Like the Spokane Temple before it the Snowflake Arizona Temple had an
angel Moroni placed to face east. The statue was placed atop the
temple, itself perched on a hill outside of the city it is named after, on 21
July of 2001. Like many other temples where the angel faces east but the
temple does not, the Angel Moroni had his back to the front door, which
is on the west side of the temple. In March of 2017, when the temple
closed for an extended maintenance and cleaning period, the statue was
replaced with a refurbished statue, this time turned to face west,
effectively greeting patrons as they arrive.4
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It should be noted that, even though Spokane and Snowflake have had
their statues rotated to face the front entrance, there are plenty of
others that still face away from the entrance, including Mount
Timpanogos, in which the statue faces east and the entrance is to the
west, and Reno, which like Spokane is a small temple facing west, but
with an east facing statue.
1
2
ASEA Church History Office, “Photo History of the Temple Construction,” Africase.LDS.org,
accessed 25 Mar 2016. Internet Archive Link
3 Scott, “The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints - Temple Architecture Myths,”
thetrumpetstone.blogspot.com, 13 March 2011.

4
Marvin Quist phone call to temple recorder, 9 November 2017
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The Freiberg Germany temple had originally been dedicated 29–30 June
1985. The fact that the Church had been allowed to build it in what was
then the Communist country of East Germany, was a surprise. The
Country had tightly controlled it’s border access for 36 years at the time
of dedication. Many times during those years, members of the Church
had requested permission to leave the country to attend the closest
temple, in Bern Switzerland. All requests had been denied.1
The real shock, was that it was the East German Government who asked
the Church to build the temple. The Church jumped on the Chance. Wary
of the government, despite promises to leave the temple alone, the
Church opted not to use the finest available materials, and instead went
for good. Additionally, they opted to not includ3e the Angel Statue. The
only temple between 1982 and 2010 to not receive one. 2
As a result, In the Early 2000’s, long after the fall of the Communist
government, The Church opt4ed to renovate, upgrade, and expand the
small temple in the equally small community of Freiberg.
Some panick was stirred amongst locals when, as part of this renovation,
the spire on the front of the temple was removed. The Temple had
become a beloved and recognizable landmark. In fact, the temple was
expanded out the front, and the spire was rebuilt farther forward, at the
front of the new, nearly double size floorplan..3
As part of this expansion, on 20 December 2001, a small crowd gathered

under gloomy skies to witness the addition of the then ubiquitous statue
to the new spire. The day before, former temple President Magnus R.
Meiser predicted that the sun would shine on the event. 4
As the statue was placed on the point of the spire, the sun did indeed
break through. There is a magnificent photo, by Eugene and Claire
Freedmen in an article they wrote for the Church News of the event,
showing the temple and grounds all around in shadow, with a bright ray
of light from the rising sun illuminating the top of the spire, and the
glistening angel.5
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1
Kuehne, Raymond M. “The Freiberg Temple: An Unexpected Legay of a Communist State
and a Faithful People.” The Dialogue Journal , The Dialogue Journal, 27 Aug. 2018.
2
ibid.
3
Freedman, Claire, and Eugene Freedman. “Angel Statue Added to Freiberg Temple.”
Church News, 12 Jan. 2002.
4
ibid.
5
ibid.
In Bellevue Washington around 1979, a new temple was under

construction. The framework for the spire was in, and project managers
decided the time had come for the placement of the statue. A call was
made to Richard Young to request the statue that he and Dr. Fairbanks
had made for the Seattle Temple. Excited about the coming statue, due
to arrive on Tuesday 23 October,1 they then contacted the local press
and let them now of the imminent arrival of the statue.
On the appointed day, many members of the press arrived on site and
waited all day long for the statue. It never arrived.2 On the next day, the
press members arrived again, and again they waited all day. Again, the
statue failed to arrive.
Later that night, one reporter happened to be to be traveling past the

temple. She noticed that a large wooden framework had been erected in
front of the temple and covered with plastic. Behind the framework
were bright lights, and as the wind pushed the plastic around, a large
golden angel could clearly be seen inside the structure. For a moment,
she would later recall, I thought it was the second coming itself.” The
statue had finally arrived. The next day, the press arrived again. The
statue, they were told, had been held up in traffic. Officially, the delay
was because shipping was “slowed down by rain.”3 Then, after arrival,
the wind had blown a piece of wood into it, requiring some quick repairs
to it.
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Such might be the case.
But the story the press was given is not the story that others tell.
According to David O. Dance, then a Stake President, the driver for

Richard young was so excited to have the new angel statue on the back
of the truck, he spent the first day driving all over Salt Lake Valley
showing it off to his friends. In the process, the trumpet of the Statue
caught on a low-lying branch. President Dance reported that the
trumpet broke off at that time, while Richard Young believes that the
trumpet
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bent, and the vibration of the road during the trip from Salt Lake to
Bellevue caused the damaged portion to vibrate and separate
completely. Additionally, President Dance reports that, as the driver had
been concerned that any tarp over the statue would scratch and damage
the gold leafing, he had made the decision to not cover it during
shipment. The end result is that the wind and dust and bugs
encountered on the trip to Seattle had, apparently, scoured the leaf off
the statue.4
However it happened, photos of the arrival of the statue show that the
horn and all the trumpet past the hand were missing when the statue
arrived on site, presumably lying in the bed of the truck. Other photos
show the gold on the statue dull and lifeless, missing the traditional
bright luster that new gold leafing displays for years to come. Richard
Young was contacted about the damaged arrival of the statue. He
relates that he and Earnest Demke, the gilder for the statue, caught an
immediate flight to Bellevue. He arrived to find that the statue had been
placed into a concrete socket made for the eventual flagpole, and a
temporary scaffold erected around it. He and another contractor welded
the trumpet back onto the hand, then used an angle grinder to smooth
the welds. Then the scaffold was closed and lights and heat set up.
Earnest Demke spent all night re-leafing the whole statue in order to
have it ready for placement the next day, 25 October 1979.5
After the statues rough trip to the temple, it was now safely placed upon
the 180-foot spire, and that was the end of the story for this Statue.
Except, of course, it wasn’t. The Seattle temple was constructed during a
period of time when the push for the Equal Rights amendment was front
and center of public discussion. The amendment, to date, has never
passed, and a resurgence of the discussion is being seen today. It was
well known in the public forums that the LDS Church was opposed to the
amendment. The opposition stemmed from multiple points, such as
equality laws already not being enforced, and a concern that passing of
the law would legitimize behaviors the Church teaches as immoral, such
as abortion. The temple became a point of focus for those who opposed
the Church’s opposition to the amendment. Protesters would frequently
chain themselves to the fences or gates of the Construction site.6
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Amidst all this clamor, on the 3rd of November, just 9 days after the
Moroni was placed, those arriving on the site found a large banner
hanging from the Angel. The banner, comprised of words painted on a
bedsheet, read “Galatians 1:8.”7 The verse thus referenced reads “but
though we or an angel preach any other gospel unto you than that which
we have preached, let him be accursed.” The banner had a loop of wire
on the top of it that was used to hang the statue from the arm and
trumpet of the angel.
According to the newspapers, the Police believed it to have been related

to the ERA protests, but had no suspects.8 According to President Dance,
the stunt had been pulled by several “evangelical youngsters, all
women” who climbed the unfinished spire in the middle of the night to
hang the banner. The wire and the act of hanging the banner caused
damage to the Gold leafing, again requiring repairs.9
Public reaction to the banner was unsurprisingly mixed, running the

range from support to outrage. One supporter of the ERA decried the
act, saying that regardless of politics the Church was still entitled to its
opinion and lawbreaking crossed the line of appropriate protest. No
arrests were ever made in the incident.10
1
Hansen, Lynne Hollstein, “Much publicity given Seattle Temple events,” Church News, 3
November 1979, p. 12. States the statue was scheduled to arrive October 18, and was ready
to be placed October 19, but earlier states placement on October 25.
2 Sherry Grindland, “Angel Delayed in Traffic,” Journal American, 18 October 1979.; “Angel
Ascends: Statue overcomes delay,” The Seattle Times, 20 October 1979

3
Hansen, Lynne Hollstein.
4
Dance, David O 1922-. Seattle Temple files, 1975-1986 , (accessed: August 2019)
5
Young, Richard, Personal Interview with Brian Olson and Marvin Quist, 10 July 2018.
6
7
Steve Miletich, “Bible-quoting banner draped atop temple,” Journal American, 26
November 1979
8
“Defacing symbols exceeds bound of religious debate,” Journal American., 28 November
1979
9
10
“Defacing symbols exceeds bound of religious debate,” Journal American., 28 November
1979
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Sometimes, the placement of a Moroni can lead to some interesting

coincidences. Though it is possible that some of these are on purpose by
the architect or planners, I have yet to find any proof that the placement
was intentional. Here are a couple of interesting placements,
coincidence or otherwise.
The Las Vegas Nevada Temple sits at the base of a lone mountain to the
North East of downtown Las Vegas. The Angel on the temple is placed on
the center spire of the long east side of the temple. The statue itself
faces east; head tilted up towards the peak of the mountain. The overall
effect of the placement is that the statue has his back turned to towards
the Las Vegas Strip, home of many of the largest Casinos in the United
States. It is most likely that the placement of this statue is coincidental,
in that it was more common back then to have a statue placed facing
directly east, even if the placement looked a little out of sorts for the
temple (though in the case of Las Vegas, the placement fits well with the
overall architecture of the building.) While this placement is most likely
coincidental, in a sense, the Las Vegas Moroni has his back turned to a
place famous for upholding loose morals popular in the world.
Symbolically he has turned his back on the world, and has turned east to
await the arrival of the Savior.
Starting in April of 1973, just one block west of Central Park, the Church
began construction on a stake center and apartment building in what
was then an area of Manhattan that was under redevelopment. The pair
of buildings, designed by Church Architect Emil B. Fetzer would serve as
a hub of Church activity for Manhattan for the next 30 years. Starting in
2001, that Stake Center would be renovated, and a temple placed inside
the shell along with a new Chapel. The finished facilities were dedicated
13 June 2004. Four Months after the dedication, the decision was made
to add an Angel Moroni statue to the spire that had been added during
the remodel process. Placing the statue facing east would have placed it
facing apartment buildings right next door and sharing an east wall with
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the temple. From an Aesthetic standpoint, it would have looked rather

awkward.
The temple sits at the six-way intersection of West 65th street, Columbus
Avenue, and Broadway. The intersection has a small pedestrian plaza in
the middle where people can wait while the lights change. At the North
and South ends of the intersection are more pedestrian plazas and
greenspace. The Decision was made to place the statue facing out into
this comparatively open space.
The end result is that the statue faces south west, rather than the
somewhat more traditional east. This means that the trumpet points
towards the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, one of the more
famous Concert Halls in the world.
Oquirrh Mountain Utah Temple was dedicated in 2009, and sits on the
west side of Salt Lake valley. Imagine you were standing right at the
South most edge of the temple, and faced east. Now imagine that you
could instantly travel east on the same latitude line about 1,081.87
miles. When you came to a stop in the middle of a road you could then
turn 90 degrees to the right, and there, just 136 feet away, would be the
Nauvoo Temple. The Angel Moroni on the Oquirrh Temple faces east.
Meanwhile, the Nauvoo statue was placed to face west, out across the
Mississippi River. Across a distance of 1,080 miles, these two statues
face each other nearly perfectly. More so than probably any other two
Moroni statues in the world.
Oquirrh Mountain Utah Temple sits on the east bench of Salt Lake
Valley. As such, two other temples can clearly be seen from the front
doors of the temple: The Jordan River Utah Temple, just 3.1 miles away,
and the Draper Utah Temple, 8.61 miles away on the west side of the
valley. As most Angel Moroni Statues, including the one at Oquirrh, have
the trumpet turned about 45° to the right (clockwise) from the statues
body, the trumpet at the Oquirrh temple just happens to point nearly
perfectly at its neighbor across the valley, the Draper Utah temple.
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Throughout the world various cultures have built up traditions around

construction in regards to the completion of various stages of
construction. One tradition has already been mentioned in this book in
regards to the tradition of wearing wooden shoes when construction
reaches its highest point in the Netherlands.
Depending on the location, it can be customary to top the highest point

with a tree (often a Christmas tree) or to fly local or national flags.
In the United states, when the last piece of steel is placed on a steel
frame building, it is common to paint it white and allow workers and
architects to sign the beam.1
At the Concepcion Chile Temple, completion of the structural steel, as

well as most of the exterior, brought the placement of a unique
temporary Moroni.
Someone on the site cut two outlines of the statue into pieces of
plywood, then spray painted it gold. The two figures were arranged on
either side of a metal pole that was then lifted up into the socket that
the statue itself would eventually go into.2
The creator of this unique temporary stand-in is not known, but it was
an excellent tribute to the real thing, and it gave those in the area a
preview into what the finished tower would look like.
1
“Topping Out.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 10 Mar. 2020.
2
“Concepción Chile Temple Photograph Gallery.” Temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-Day Saints.
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In 2011 the Angel Moroni Statue was slated to be replaced at the Accra
Ghana Temple. The statue, original to the temple, had been placed atop
the spire in 2003 and was beginning to show signs of wear. Scaffolding
was erected around the spire, and a makeshift crane was made out of
pipe lashed to the scaffolding. It is not clear from accounts why a crane
was not used at that time, but there must have been some difficulty in
obtaining one, or a crane would have been sent for when the pipe-built
crane bent too much to fully remove the existing statue. When it
became apparent the statue could not be extracted, it was replaced fully
back into its socket.1
The replacement statue was returned back to its crate, and stored for
later use. It was stored, in fact, on top of the temple. Historic satellite
imagery available through the Google Earth software clearly show the
crate in place on the south west end of the roof.
The decision was made to finally replace the statue during the two-week
maintenance period scheduled January 22–February 5, 2018. The statue
was removed from its crate, then as is common with most statue
placements, the statue was inspected and repaired. A new coat of Gold
leaf was placed on the replacement statue and burnished for an even
shine.
On Friday February 2nd of 2018, a 300-ton crane arrived from Tema,

Ghana. The crane was used to remove the original, aged statue from the
Accra Ghana Temple and raise the new Angel Moroni in place atop the
edifice. From planned replacement, to actual accomplishment took 7
years.2
1
Jethroandmic. Our Mission to Africa. 30 July 2011, ourmissiontoafrica.blogspot.com.
2
“A New Angel for Ghana,” Newsroom, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 2
February 2018,
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Crated Moroni seen here stored

on the roof of the temple. Image
dated 7 October 2015, via Google
Earth
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In 1910 work was progressing on the Hotel Utah, now called the Joseph
Smith Memorial Building, just across the street and south of the Salt
Lake Temple. The foundation had been laid and I-beams were being
placed to form the framework of the new hotel. On 10 April, just after 3
in the morning, an explosion on the North East corner of the
construction site shattered the silence, as well as glass of nearby office
buildings. One of 2 night-watchmen on the hotel construction site was
knocked unconcise by the blast. Some people, up early to view Hailey’s
Comet, then making an appearance, thought the comet itself had struck
ground. A portion of the Hotel’s iron framework was bent beyond repair.
Despite the destruction to nearby property, no one was seriously injured
by the blast.
The Hotel contractors had opted for an open-shop policy during the
Hotel’s construction. Anyone with experience was welcome to come
work on the project. This policy had angered and frustrated the local
Iron workers Union, who immediately became the prime suspects in the
bombing. They had also been suspected in a smaller explosion a little
over 4 months earlier. Head of the International Structural Ironworkers
Union, John J. McNamara, denied Union members had anything to do
with the events, and offered a $500 dollar reward for information on the
event. 2 years later, McNamara himself, along with 2 others, confessed
to not only having been responsible for both of these bombs, but dozens
more around the nation, including one at the Los Angeles Times which
killed 21 people.
Across the street, the temple windows had been spared from the same
fate many of the local buildings suffered, however the morning sun
showed that the horn on the Angel Moroni Statue had shifted, moving
out of Moroni’s mouth, and a further couple of feet. Additionally, the
back-and-forth vibration induced by the blast caused the trumpet to
develop a slight bend.
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A rough outline of the path the
steeple jacks took, using only Know Your Moroni
ladders.
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The following month, Arthur Smith of New York was contracted to repair
the damage to the statue. Smith assembled a team of four experienced
climbers, known as steeplejacks, to assist him in the task. Over the next
four days, his team would access the temple roof via a larger elevator in
the west end of the temple. They would them hall large ladders, some
35 feet, up the side of the temple from the ground with a rope.
Next, they tied the ladders to the east most spire of the temple, working
their ways lowly up. On day four, a ladder was attached to the temple
from the uppermost parapet of the spire to the Angels granite sphere.
From here he manually ascended the back of the sphere, and standing
next to the statue, tied one more ladder to the 12-and-a-half-foot statue
itself. This last ladder allowed him to climb up the back of the Statue,
placing himself on the shoulders and around the head.
The final repair took about 30 minutes. As a curious crowd watched on

from below, Arthur worked the horn back to the statue’s mouth and
worked to hammer the trumpet straight.
The last of the job consisted of climbing back down, untying ropes and
removing ladders along the way. This final segment of the work was
accomplished fairly quickly. Smith and his Steeplejacks were each paid
the sum of $7.81 per day, or a little over $207 in today’s money.
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One temple had a statue placed, only to have it removed within a week.
At the Denver Colorado Temple, the statue was initially placed on 19

September 1985. Once the statue was in place, it was determined that it
did not look right on the spire, which at that time was thicker than the
statue was wide. The contrast made the statue look small, and at the
same time caused the spire to look bulky.1
For that reason, the statue was removed a few days later. The upper
portion of the spire was removed, redesigned, and replaced with a new
fiberglass section that was more slender and graceful looking. The statue
was then re-placed on 16 October of 1985.2
The original, thicker spire of

the Denver Colorado
Temple (left) compared to
the redesigned thinner spire
(right.) The spire itself did
not change height, just the
width of the upper segment.
1
Bird, Twila. Build unto My Holy Name: The Story of the Denver Temple. Denver Colorado
Area Public Communications Council, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, English,
1987.
2
Temple Engineer phone interview, Marvin Quist, 13 August 2019
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Jay Earl Jones was chief of security for the Church back in the late 1970s,
early 1980s. After his retirement, during a fireside speaking opportunity
at Dixie State College on 16 January 1983, he related several anecdotes
about his time as head of security, including one late night story from
Salt Lake Temple Square.
2 individuals, apparently fairly drunk, were on their way home vary late
one night, and decided to take the opportunity to get into the Salt Lake
Temple. The gates at Temple Square had long since been locked, but the
drunk men decided they could overcome this by climbing partway up the
gate, rattling it, and yelling loudly.
At the same moment, a member of the Security staff was on his way up
to the roof of the temple. A light up there had begun flickering, and he
had decided to go on up and replace it.
Jones indicates that the Security guard opened a window high up there,
though it is not clear that the few windows up there open at all. The
guard would have had to go outside the temple to replace any of the
exterior lights, so perhaps he had just stepped out onto the roof. Either
way, he became aware of the two drunk men, just in time to hear one
yell “Hey Moroni! Why don’t you talk to us?”
Unable to resist, he leaned out from his unlit perch a bit and hollered
back, ‘Yes, what do you want?’
Brother Jones said, “You never saw two men run so fast in your life!”1
1
“Try Telling Gospel with a Prophet,” The Daily Spectrum, Church Life, p.2, 21 January 1983
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Early plans for the Seattle Temple called for a 199-foot-tall spire, topped
by a gilded statue of the Angel Moroni. Numerous complaints were
raised about the design of the temple, many felt it was not a good
design for the Northwest area. The city design commission requested
that the temple be only 2 stories tall, and with an exterior more
appropriate for the northwest scenery. 1
In the end, the temple the Church was allowed to build was very much
the same as the one they proposed, with one legally mandated change.
The site selected for the temple was just under 3,000 feet, (880 meters)
to the west of the Bellevue Airfield. Because of the proximity to the
temple, the height of the spire was lowered 20 feet to 179 feet tall.2
Instead of being 200 feet, with a 15-foot statue, it is instead, just under
200 feet total.
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At the top of the spire, just under the ball for the angel statue, was
placed a large box with 6 sides. On three of the faces were placed
windows, behind which were red strobe lights, similar to the ones seen
on radio towers.3 Despite the temple being brightly lit each night, and
the gleaming gilded statue above the box, the temple was still required
to have aircraft collision warning lights.
The airfield was closed just three years after

the temple’s dedication, and the strobing
lights were shut off for good.
Around 2009, some cleaning and renovation

work was done on the temple. At this time,
the box was dismantled, and the spire
completed under the sphere where to box
used to be.4
Seattle is not the only temple to have aerial

collision lights installed. The temple in Kyiv
Ukraine is just 1.8 miles (2.93 kilometers) from the Kyiv International
Airport. The temple lies just north of the flight line running west from
the airport’s runway. A few feet under the sphere is a disk wrapped
around the center of the top of the spire. Atop that disk are three red
flashing beacon lights, despite the well-lit temple and again, glistening
gilded spire.
1
2
Cowan, Richard O. (1997) [1989], Temples to Dot the Earth, Springville, Utah: Cedar
Fort/CFI Distribution, p. 178,
3
"New Mormon temple won't be run-of-the-mill church". Lewiston Morning Tribune.
Associated Press. August 9, 1980. p. 4B.
4
Observation through dated photographs.
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While all the Angel Moroni Statues are casts of one of 8 models, (6,
really, as two of those statues are on-of-a-kind,) There has been, at time,
some liberties taken with the sphere and ornamentation underneath.
The first temple to include significant ornamentation around or under

the sphere was the Jordan River Temple. The top of the spire features a
series of stacked partial domes with edges cut into various reuleaux
triangles. The assembly is about 1/3rd the height of the statue itself, and
sits directly under the sphere.
This ornamentation has been included in some measurements of the

statue’s height, and has caused many to state that the Jorden River
statue is the tallest. However, from head to foot, the statue is still
shorter than the Washington D.C. Statue.
The Provo City center takes a bit of a different angle on being unique.
This temple’s Moroni has extra ornamentation on the sphere itself. A
wide expanded band around the equator of the sphere, and stepped
sections on the bottom half make the sphere atop the center spire of
the former Tabernacle match the finials on the other four spires.
Unlike at Jordan River, where the ornamentation is under the statue, the
unique sphere here is an actual part of the fiberglass statue.
The Moroni at Philadelphia Pennsylvania is another temple that features

a unique sphere. In the case of Philadelphia, the fiberglass casting has no
sphere at all, and instead stands upon a stone ball placed atop the spire.
This makes it only the second temple in the world to do so, the first
being the Salt Lake Temple. Unlike the Salt Lake Statue, which has a
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curved metal plate under its feet, the Philadelphia statue stands directly
atop the stone.
The placement of the Statue atop the Meridian Idaho Temple brought
another new twist to the run of the fiberglass statues. Included as part
of the mold for this statue is an 8-sided pedestal that flares outward as it
drops away from the bottom of the sphere.
Like the Meridian Idaho Temple, the Tucson Arizona temple features a
unique pedestal molded into the base of the sphere underneath the
statue. This molded pedestal compliments the gilded dome that the
statue sits atop.
As has already been discussed earlier in this chapter, on 22 May 2016,

the Bountiful Utah Temple was struck by lightning destroying the
fiberglass statue. Days later, a replacement statue arrived on site.
The replacement statue had been intended for the then under
construction Meridian Idaho Temple.1 As such, it had the 8-sided
pedestal attached to the bottom of the sphere. This presented a
problem.
The spire of the temple had a flat spot at the top, and from this flat spot
a post rose that went through the bottom center of the sphere.
However, on the replacement Moroni, the pedestal was 8 sided. The
fiberglass pedestal was cut off the bottom of the spire, but the
remaining 8-sided hole was much larger than the post it was intended to
fit over.2
The decision was made to cut the hole to be square, and to lower the
statue to slide over the very top portion of the pinnacle, hiding the
original mounting point within the sphere.
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The following year, from May through December, the spire on the
Bountiful Temple was dismantled. The 20-year-old structure had some
issues with moister, and rust was beginning to form on the interior
framework of the spire.3 As part of the renovation, the statue was
removed so the spire could be rebuilt above it.
Near the end of the renovation, a new statue was placed atop the
pinnacle on 24 0ctober 2017.4 This would be the third statue to grace the
top of the spire in just 2 years. The new statue had a small open bottom
pyramid molded onto the bottom of the sphere, with the point of the
pyramid removed and fixed to the bottom of the sphere. This additional
piece was gilded like the rest of the statue. This pyramid slips down over
the top of the pinnacle, hiding the connection point and protecting it
from the weather.
This addition to the sphere makes the statue more unique, like the
others discussed in this section.
1
“Damaged Angel Moroni on Bountiful Utah Temple Is Replaced.” Church News, Deseret
News, 2 June 2016,
2
Deseret News. “Bountiful Temple Gets a New Angel Moroni.” Deseret News, Deseret
News, 2 June 2016,
3 Rick Satterfield, “Spire Repairs Continue at the Bountiful Utah Temple,”
ChurchofJesusChristTemples.org, 26 June 2017.

4
Rick Satterfield, “Angel Moroni Makes His Landing atop Bountiful Temple”
ChurchofJesusChristTemples.org, 24 October 2017.
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As Moroni has come to represent the Angel In the book of revelation,

members occasionally have enjoyed opportunities to make reference to
the scripture in relation to the statue.
One such opportunity presented itself in early 1983 as construction was

wrapping up on the Santiago Chile Temple.
Crews were ready for the installation, and the statue had been shipped
from Salt Lake. It was traveling via air cargo. Unfortunately, there was a
bit of a problem getting it through Customs in Chile when it arrived. The
process took so long, that the plane returned to the states, statue still on
board. When talking about the event, local members would often
comment that 'The angel Moroni was flying through the midst of
heaven,' before it finally returned to Santiago.” 1
The same phrase from the scripture came up in relation to an event that
was funny, but only in retrospect.
The year was 1981, and preparations were in progress to finish the
tower at the then under construction Mexico City Mexico Temple. The
statue for the Temple was a 15-foot replica of the 18-foot statue Avard
Fairbanks created for the Washington D.C. Temple. Richard young had
cast the statue at his foundry, and the statue had recently been turned
over to Salt Lake City Council member Ronald J. Whitehead.
Aside from being a city Council member, Brother Whitehead worked as a

moving agent. On Friday the 17th of April, 1982, Brother Whitehead was
in the midst of the necessary preparations for shipping the statue to
Mexico City. The statue had been laid on its back, horn arm in the air, so
that he could get its dimensions, when an accident occurred.
He would later jokingly tell the tale to a reporter as follows: “I laid a

ladder against the horn and took a measuring tape up when all of a
sudden Angel Moroni turned on me. I became another flying angel!”
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The statue, not secured to anything at the time, shifted under the extra
weight placed against the arm and horn. The movement caused
Whiteheads ladder to fall, and Brother Whitehead fell, his right ankle
landing against a wheelbarrow as he crashed to the ground.
He related the story to a Salt Lake Tribune reporter from the hospital,
where he was staying several days to be treated, but the accident
caused his ankle to end up in a cast.2
1
Rae Olson, personal account submission to LDS-GEMS, via “Santiago Chile Temple”,
crockettclan.org
2
“City Councilman Suffers Ankle Injury,” Salt Lake Tribune, 22 April 1981, p17.
The Church News of 16 May 1981 showed a picture of a bronze,

unleafed statue at the Jordan River Temple. The statue was being lifted
into the flagpole spot, much as had been done at Seattle, so the statue
could be sandblasted and covered in gold leaf.1 The temple was making
rapid progress.
An August 8 article in the Church News announced that the cornerstone

ceremony for the temple would be held on 15 August, 7 days hence. At
the Ceremony the statue, which the article specified would be lifted to
the top of the spire in advance and covered in canvas (it had, in fact,
been lifted to the spire the day prior to publishing) would be
dramatically revealed as part of the cornerstone ceremony.
“At a tug of a rope, the canvas will fall from the statue,
displaying it atop the finished temple for the first time.”
-Church News Article2
“The best laid schemes o' mice an' men,” as Robert Burns said. On the
night of 9-10 August, high winds in the Salt Lake valley tore away the
canvas draping. Some minor damage was incurred on the leafing, which
was quickly repaired. The decision was made not to cover the statue
again, according to a Church News article published on the day of the
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cornerstone ceremony (The Church News was only printed weekly, and
articles were often not as timely as one could hope.)
1
“Statue awaits Installation,” Church News, 16 May 1981.
2
“Temple statue to be unveiled,” Church News, 8 August 1981, p. 3.
Each Temple with an Angle Moroni has had them refurbished or

replaced from time-to-time. This means that some have had multiple
statues atop their pinnacle over the years. One Temple has had more
Angels at the pinnacle than any other than any other by a fair margin,
and it has never even had an Angle Moroni Statue.1
Until the practice was discontinued in 2018, with the final pageant being
held in 2019, every year the hill south of the Manti Utah Temple has
hosted the Mormon Miracle pageant. This pageant featured elaborate
sets, costumes and lighting and told the story of the Church, with
references from stories in the Bible and Book of Mormon as well.
The pageant started in 1969 on Fairgrounds west of temple as a stake

production. It was intended to be part of the City’s Pioneer Day
celebration.
The following year the production moved to a small stage on the west
end of temple. The year after in 1969, they moved to the natural terrace
on the south hill of the grounds. Problems with Audio and lighting
indicated that, if the production were to continue, it would need serious
upgrades.
In 1970 the production received those upgrades. New scenes and sets
were added. Better sound and lighting were acquired. And, for the first
time, an actor stood on the west pinnacle of the temple at one point
holding a trumpet, and dressed in white flowing robes.
In those early days, the safety of the actor atop the flat west end
platform was assured by the actor’s escort, John Henry Nielson, and
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later Dan Harmer, reaching up through the trap door and holding the
actor’s ankles. In later years a tall pole with a waste high back brace
would be attached to the 6-foot square platform. This would allow the
actor to lean back slightly into the brace for stability.2
Multiple individuals would play the Moroni atop the spire each year,
allowing for more than 100 individuals to play the part in the just under
50 years the role was acted out.
Some of the individuals playing the part would deliberately wait until the
spotlight upon them turned on to raise the trumpet to their lips, to
ensure the audience new that it was a live individual up there, and not
another fiberglass replica. 3
A few years into the new tradition, a small fan was placed in one corner
of the platform for emergencies. The decision to add this came about
one evening when the air was still, and, in an attempt to get the robes
flapping again, John Henry Nielson blew on the robes himself, to no
effect. 4
At the time the practice started, there were only two statues on temples
world-wide, one on Salt Lake, and the other in Los Angeles. By the time
the pageant ended in 2019, that number had grown to 141.
There is a funny, though unverifiable story that is passed around about

the annual practice. The story says that, an unwary traveler, slightly
inebriated, was making his way down the road towards the temple,
when, suddenly, an angel appeared in the sky high above him. The
startled and intoxicated driver ended up on the edge of the road vowing
never to drink again. As stated before, there is no evidence this event, or
any of the variations of the story passed around, ever happened.5
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”The Manti Temple Centennial”. Manti Temple Centennial Committee, Manti, Utah, 1988.
P. 137
Merrilyn Jorgennsen, “Angelic Appearances Take Place During the Pageant,” Mormon
Miracle Pageant 2018. 11 June 2018
Merrilyn Jorgennsen.
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Chapter3| Mythalaneous
Favorite beliefs and traditions have a tendency to grow as time wears

on. This can be due to many reasons: cherished memories, other
traditions being incorporated into our own, an effort to honor people or
beliefs, or a need to validate our beliefs by propping them up with
miracles or proof with little to no foundation. Sometimes there is just a
need to add a little bit more luster to what is already such a sacred
building. Many events, whether interpreted correctly or not, can add
false traditions to what we hold dear.
Sometimes a myth stems from a simple lack of information or

understanding. In the spirit of spreading truth and honesty, here are 15
often repeated beliefs in relation to the Angel Moroni Statues that are
just wrong.
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This book has covered this topic in various forms already, but here are
some facts and information to consider.
When the tradition of adding a statue to every temple was started in

1982 with the Atlanta Temple construction, there were already 20
temples in operation around the world. Of those 20, only Salt Lake, Los
Angeles, Washington D.C., Seattle and Jordan River had statues. That
was only one quarter of the temples. Even today, as many older temples
have had statues added, there are still a fair number without. More
recently the number of temples without statues has increased,
dramatically. This massive decrease roughly coincided with President
Russel M. Nelson’s focus on Christ over all else.
Additionally, In the last half a decade, the decision has been made to
remove the statue from a pair of temples that had previously had it.
For a full list of temples without the statue, see Chapter 7, Moroni by
Sculptor.
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This belief goes back to the early days of the Moroni statues. The very
first statue on the Salt Lake temple faced east, as did the temple itself.
But one occurrence of something does not make a rule.
This incorrect understanding most likely really begins with the second
Angel Moroni being placed on the Los Angeles Temple. Original plans for
the temple had the Moroni facing in line with the front door, to the
south east. After the statue had been placed, President David O. McKay,
on site for the placement, asked that the statue be rotated 90 degrees to
face northeast. People have assumed that there must be a doctrinal
reason for the move rather than an aesthetic one, as it has been said
that President McKay had the statue turned to greet the Savior upon his
return to earth. The tradition of ‘Moroni must face east’ was born,
despite the fact that Seattle Washington, the fourth temple to receive an
angel statue, has both the temple and the statue facing west.1 2
1 For more information on which direction Angel Moroni faces, see Chapter 7 – Moroni
Always Faces East.
2
For More information on rotation of The Los Angeles California Temple statue see Chapter
5 – Statues Turned After Placement – Los Angeles
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This is an effort to add extra significance and “sparkle” to something that

is already more than significant in its own right. It’s also something that
is only quoted by those who live near a temple which has a statue facing
the same direction as the front doors, something that is actually
becoming less common with time. Take for example the temples in
Boise, Idaho, and American Fork, Utah. Both the Boise and the Mount
Timpanogos Temples have their entry doors on the west side, while the
statues face generally to the east. Or Dallas, which has the Angel Facing
south and the doors on the North, East and west. Or perhaps Chicago,
which has the Angel facing North and the entrances generally facing
south. None of these examples take into account the examples where
the statue faces to the right or the left of the front doors, a situation
which is more and more common, like the Arequipa Peru Temple, where
the entryway is facing generally north east, and the statue faces 90
degrees clockwise, in a south east direction.
This is not an oft quoted myth, but it still pops up occasionally.
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I have to be honest. I have no idea where this one originated from. I

can’t trace it anywhere, but I even remember someone mentioning it to
me when I was a teenager. Additionally, I have received emails through
my website just to ask me what I knew about it, and I have seen it on
various sites three times in the last year alone. My personal thought is
that this goes back to a need to add deeper meaning to the symbol of
the statue, and to emphasize Independence because of the importance
of the city to the restoration of the Gospel. As Independence was
declared to be the location of the New Jerusalem, it does make a sort of
logical sense that the statues face Independence. Or it would, if the LDS
faith had any such other tenet. There is no need in Mormonism that
members must face a specific direction to do any specific thing, or that
temples must face any specific direction so the Angel Facing
Independence loses some of its logical credibility.
Despite the uncertain origin, let us take a look at just the first 4 angel
statues placed to see how this idea pans out. In the following chart, gold
arrows represent the direction the Moroni faces, blue arrows represent
the direction from the temple to Independence Missouri. The number to
the right of each temple shows the difference, in degrees, between the
direction the statue faces and the direction to Independence:
While half of them could be considered pointing roughly towards

Independence Missouri, the other two face almost completely the
opposite direction. In my studies I have not found any Moroni Statue
that actually points directly to Independence.
This myth is told in another form, in that you will occasionally hear
people say that all statues must face Salt Lake City. As Salt Lake does not
have quite the same importance as Independence, it is confusing how
this one could have come to be. A quick look at the temples near Salt
Lake puts this one to rest for good.
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Additionally, I have seen it reported that the Statue, regardless of where

it is in the world, must face the Mount of Olives, in Israel, as it is where
Christ shall return.1 This is again problematic. For example, the Seattle
Statue, again facing west, would have it’s back towards the mount of
olives, far to its east. Similarly, the Sapporo Japan Temple, having the
statue face east, and the Mount of Olives being west of there, would
again have its back to the Mount.
I have not identified any single point, or even multiple points, that all
Angel Moroni statues point to. This is one myth that is impossible to
justify its continuing spread due to the lack of any evidence and the ease
with which modern tools make it to double check.
1
ThirdHour. “Moroni,” 23 January 2008. Accessed 19 May 2021.
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If you have ever read an article about Angel Statues or visited a site
covering temple trivia, you are bound to have read something like this:
‘The White Angel was found to be too hard to see, so it was removed
from Monticello and was later gold leafed and placed on Columbus
Ohio.’
This statement is EVERYWHERE on the Internet.
It’s not true.
The Monticello Moroni was switched out on 25 May 1999. The

Columbus Moroni was placed on 5 June 1999, only 11 days later. While it
is possible that this was removed, Sent to Salt Lake, gilded, and shipped
to Columbus in that short window, when you know more about the
history of the small angel with a scroll, that proposition becomes
unlikely at best.
In an Article titled “A Life Size Moroni,” written by Carla Byram and

published in The Deseret News 23 May 1998, the author states that the
first of these new life size, scroll holding statues had just been placed on
the Monticello Utah Temple the previous week. Later in the article she
states that “five more statues have been started at Wallgren’s Kearns
studio.” The knowledge that there were 6 of these statues to begin with
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refutes the idea that there was any urgent need for this statue to be gilt
and reused. Columbus was the third of these statues to be placed, the
first having been Monticello. The second statue placed was the
Anchorage Alaska temple, and it should be noted that that statue had
already been gilded when it was placed.
And it was placed before the Monticello Statue was removed. Not
including the Statue from Monticello, when it came time to place the
statue at Columbus, there were 4 other statues of this style awaiting
placement.
The statue at Bismarck, again already gilded, would be placed just 5 days
after Columbus. It too, was already gilt. This placement would suggest
that when the Columbus Statue was ready to be placed that there were
at least 2 of these 5 remaining statues gilt and ready to go; One for
Anchorage, one for Bismarck. The fact that each of these was placed on
either side of Columbus would imply that the Columbus statue was
already gilt and ready to go when the Monticello statue came down.
The last 2 of the statues placed would be placed 3 months and 9 months
after that, and would be shipped overseas, first to Kona Hawaii, and the
last to Caracas Venezuela.
At least 6 statues of this model were created for temples. But only 5
temples currently have this statue. Why rush to refinish one statue,
when there are 5 others on standby ready to go, and the record of
placement makes it clear that at least 2 of the remaining 5 had already
been gilded?
In January of 2016, Marvin Quist (researcher for this book) found a still
white version of this statue lying on a shipping blanket on a pallet in the
Church History Museum archives. For the previous decade and a half,
the statue had sat in a rotting crate on the backlot of the Church History
Museum, with no one aware it was event here. A tag around the arm of
the Angel identifies it as the Monticello Utah Angel Moroni.
The weight of evidence makes it clear that this story is untrue, wherever
it came from originally.
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London England Temple (or any other temple) doesn’t have an Angel
because . . .
First off, I would like to point out that the tradition of placing statues on
every temple started around 1980, and the London Temple (as with
most temples that suffer from this myth) was built and dedicated long
before that point. So right off, any of the myths in this section are myths
for just that reason: These temples did not get a statue because that’s
just not what was done back then.
But let’s consider a few of these myths anyway.
Look at an Angel Moroni in the sunlight. You will notice that the whole
angel does not shine at the same time. Pilots are more likely to get a
glare from a solid flat reflective sheet like a window or a car windshield.
The bigger the surface, the bigger the glare. The uneven surface of a
Moroni statue is going to reflect and scatter small amounts of light every
direction. The flatter the surface, the bigger the reflection. The part that
will usually reflect the most light is the flattest portion of the statue: the
front and back. A reflective surface reflects light in the opposite
direction of the light source. So, if the sun is to the south, the reflection
will be brightest to the North. The reflective surface will be between you
and the sun, in one line.
As the front and back are mostly vertical and as the sun is above that
vertical surface, it will typically reflect more light the opposite direction
from the sun, down to the ground. Though there are times where the
sun is low to the ground, early morning or late evening, when the sun
can be behind you. In these instances, the statue will produce a vibrant
reflection. But so will any other window, and the window will reflect an
even greater amount of light, even if it is smaller, due to it being flat.
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Temples which had a Moroni added after dedication fall into 2 groups.
Group one consists of the Boston and Sydney temples which were
intended to have Angels but could not at first due to legislation or
lawsuits. The second group were dedicated exactly as was intended,
with no Angel on the spire.
In the second group, with the exception

of Idaho Falls and Freiberg, the process
of adding a Moroni required removing a
portion of the spire to create a natural
looking and compfortable spot for the
statue to sit. This means that, after
Moroni was placed, the temple was
actually shorter than without the
statue. (Idaho Falls and Freiberg
actually made the spire taller.)
Another point to consider is that the

London Temple is about five miles from
the airport. A quick search on the
internet suggests that a plane on
approach will typically be about 1,500
feet up at that distance as it
Adding The angel Moroni Statue
approaches (300 additional feet up for
lowered the overall height of the each mile.) The London temple is only
London Temple 190 feet tall. Even a plane on shallow
approach is not going to be that low
that far out from the airport.
The system they are referring to is called ILS. It uses directional radio
antennas to project radio signals into the air along the safest approach
routes. Put as simply as possible, to stay on course for landing, a pilot
points an airplane to where the signals are strongest. Like the second
answer to the previous question, in order to avoid problems with any
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structure on final approach, this radio signal is going to be so high up

above the temple at five miles out that there is not much chance of the
angel getting in the way of the signal.
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This story goes that the original dedication of the Mexico City Temple
was delayed because a crane operator dropped the Angel Moroni Statue
as they were lifting it into place, and it crashed through the roof into the
Celestial room.
All right, I looked everywhere for a single authoritative reference to this,

and it only seems to pop up in the form of “this guy I know said...” Which
is not exactly confidence boosting.
There are enough people critical of the Church and its doings that this
kind of an accident should have gotten into a newspaper or two. Or
Twelve. I can think of a couple of times in my lifetime that unfortunate
occurrences during temple construction were published near and wide.
I did find this from Comtrol Inc.
Comtrol completed the construction of the Mexico City Temple under a

construction management contract. Work on the site had been initiated
by others, and had proceeded to the point of approximately 50%
completion, but slow overall construction progress resulted in the
involvement of Comtrol on the management of completion efforts.
This would indicate that the cause of any delays in the construction were
due to issues with the progress the original contractor was making. That
being said, the construction of the Mexico City Temple took just under 4
years, which is a normal construction time for a large temple.
Unable to find anything authoritative that would suggest anything of this

sort had happened, the question was posed to a Church Historian over
temples and Historical sites. In responding to this and another question
asked at the same time she responded “There is no truth to either story.
Both are fanciful myths and not supported by any credible source.”
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The Nauvoo Temple was destroyed in 1848. It is not known for certain
what happened to the angel that once sat upon its spire. While there
have been stories and rumors about the fate of this angel, none of them
have been proven to this date.
One particularly prevalent rumor still circulates about the Nauvoo Angel.
The story is that it had been purchased by the Salem Evangelical
Reformed Church at Sycamore and Orchard Streets in Cincinnati Ohio in
1867. This congregation held a tradition that they had purchased the
Nauvoo Angel. After it was blown off the steeple in 1968, they gave it to
Nauvoo Restoration Inc. A thorough investigation concluded it was not
the Nauvoo weather vane. Clues to this include it having been more
cherubic in its features, having wings, and not holding a book.1
This is one likely source of the myth that at least one Angel Moroni
Statue had wings, as the weathervane from the Cincinnati church had
them. However, this weathervane had never been on the Nauvoo
temple, so this source would prove the myth not true.
Another potential source for this myth involves popular trends at the
time that Cyrus Dallin sculpted and cast the Angel Moroni Statue. Photos
available through the Church History Library of the Foundry where the
statue was cast indicate that an angel with a trumpet was not a wholly
original creation by Cyrus Dallin. One of the photos from that set shows
a wingless figure holding a trumpet behind some workers at the foundry
assembling a statue from multiple casts. The statue looks more similar to
the Statues that Karl Quilter would eventually create than to the Dallin
statue, but show that the idea of a statue in the form of a Herald was
not exactly new.
Another photo shows an array of statues cast by the foundry. In the

photo two figures, posed similar to the Dallin Moroni stand holding
trumpets. In this photo, each of the angel figures features wings. It is
possible that individuals having seen the photos in passing, and knowing
them to connected to the creation of an Angel Moroni, mistook them for
the statue in question. However, as these photos are of other statues
from the same foundry, and the set contains photos of the Salt Lake
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Moroni, it is easy to identify that these are not intended for use on the
temple, and therefore are also indicative of this myth not being true.
1
“The Mystery of the Nauvoo Angel!” zettasaprons.blogspot.con, 29
May 2013
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This is a fairly easy myth to identify the probable origins. There are some
older photos of the Assembly Hall in Salt Lake that show an angel
weathervane, lying horizontal is if in the action of flying, with a trumpet
and a book. Someone saw these photos and drew the conclusion this
must be the angel described as resting atop the Nauvoo Temple, not
knowing the history of that ill-fated weathervane. In a preceding section
we discussed the history and likely end of the Nauvoo Angel, but what is
this weathervane then seen in the photos of the Assembly Hall?
First thing to understand, is that the Weathervane is there in some

images, and not in others. This is because, unlike the Nauvoo Angel, this
was a flat 2-dimensional weathervane that would disappear if viewed
edge on from a distance. The Nauvoo angel being a full formed 3-
dimensional figure, this was not that angel.
It is not known what happened to this particular flat weathervane, but of

interest, though, is where this angel possibly came from. Images of this
statue show that, unlike the Nauvoo weathervane, it held a book in a
hand pointing down towards the ground. While the Nauvoo angel held
the book high in the air, we do have record of one weathervane, already
mentioned, that held the book down.
It is my opinion that the angel on the Assembly Hall was made as a

demonstration or prototype for the angels originally planned for the top
of the Salt Lake Temple.
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Back in the late 1950’s sculptor Elbert Porter was commissioned to

carve a statue for use on the Mormon Pavilion at the World’s Fair in
New York. The façade of the pavilion was a replica of the temple in
Salt Lake City, so the Statue sculpted by Elbert Porter was a replica of
the Cyrus Dallin Statue, 8’ 3” high.
After the New York World’s fair this statue was shipped around the
world and used at other World’s Fairs. Popular tradition holds that
after the Osaka World’s Fair the statue was retired from traveling and
placed on the Seattle temple, though other tellings of the story will
put it at other temples.
There are lots of problems with this tradition.
With the tradition of it being placed at Seattle, the Seattle statue is 15

feet tall and holding gold plates. The Elbert Porter statue is almost half
the height, and as it is a replica of the Dallin Statue, is not holding
plates.
Currently, there are only three statues in use that look like the Dallin
Statue, one of which is the Dallin Statue itself. This means that there
are only two temples in the whole world that could have the Porter
statue. One is the Idaho Falls Idaho Temple, and one is the Boston
Massachusetts Temple. The confirmed height of both of those statues
11’ 6”. This means that both of the statues are the Torlief Knaphus
replica of the Dallin Statue.
As all other statues on all other temples are not replicas of the Dallin
Statue, it can safely be concluded that the Porter statue is not actually
in use on any temple. Additionally, in response to a request for
information from the Church History Library, they were also able to
confirm that the statue did not end up on any temple. The Current
whereabouts of this statue re unknown, but staff at the CHL1 is
believed that the statue was not quite as resilient as modern fiberglass
statues, and as such was destroyed when it no longer became useable.
This myth is untrue.
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In early of 2019 I received an email from an associate in which it was

discussed that the Church’s Motion Picture studio had at one time,
two replicas of Dallin’s Angel Moroni, a taller and a shorter version.
Research uncovered that the larger of the two statues had been
loaned out to a stake, who then loaned it out to another stake without
having permission to do so, and so on until it became lost to the
Studio, presumably for good. The shorter statue remains in the
possession of the Studio, and is the right height to be the Elbert Porter
World’s fair statue.2
In an email from a descendant of Elbert Porter it was confirmed that

the statue was indeed given to the Studio after it was no longer
needed for the World’s Fairs.3
1
Unable to find any information as to where this statue ended up, I put an inquiry to the
staff at the Church History Library. The response was as follows: “To the best of my
knowledge the statue no longer exists. It is not on any temple and it is not part of the
museum collection. I have also never seen it at the Wilford Wood museum. It was not
built to be permanent. It was likely so fragile after the worlds [sic] fairs that it was
discarded. I hope that helps.”
2
Email conversation between myself and Gerald Orr, Producer for the Church, in which
he made further inquiries to other members of the studio production team.
3
Email between Marvin Quist and Porter Descendent to remain un named at this time
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This one is fairly easy to understand. Anyone familiar with the 10

commandments given to Moses by the hand of God on mount Saini
knows exactly what this myth references.
Thou shalt not make thee any graven image, or any

likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or
that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the waters
beneath the earth1
If you read just the one verse, and with the understanding that graven
means carved or sculpted,2 one concludes that it violates this
commandment to have an angel atop the temple.
However, this commandment was given to Moses. Moses himself would

later command that small sculptures of angels, “cherubim of gold, “be
made to cover the lid on the Ark of the Covenant.3
Clearly Moses had a different view on what constituted Graven Images

when it came to the commandments given to him by God than the
definition of any sculpted or carved statue.
King Solomon also had a different view on Graven Images, creating 2

massive Cherubim overlayed in gold to stand either side of the Ark of the
covenant in the Holy of holies in the temple.4 The Cherubim created by
Solomon for the temple were even covered in gold, like the statue atop
the modern temples.
Additionally, Solomon had carved effigies of cherubim, Palm trees, and

flowers. Again, these were overlaid in gold, and covered the walls of the
temple interior.5
So here we have Moses, the receiver of the law, and Solomon, the one
chosen to create the house of the Lord, using the likeness of things that
are in heaven above and in the earth beneath, to ornament items used
to worship god and follow his commandments.
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Clearly just being carved is not enough to violate the commandment.

Neither is being covered in gold.
When using this criticism of the Angel statue as a method to criticize the
Church as a whole, detractors often leave out the context of the one
verse quoted above. To better understand the commandment, you need
to read more than the one verse. Look at how the commandment
changes when you include the verse before, and the three verses after:
3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
4 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any
likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in
the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.
5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve

them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the
iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and
fourth generation of them that hate me;
6 And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love

me, and keep my commandments.6
It becomes clear that the commandment is not about artwork at all. It’s
about worship, Deity, and service.
The commandment is to not “never make any image of anything, ever.

“It’s never make an image of anything with the intent of worshiping that
image.
This is where we run afoul of the commandment today. It is not in the

creation of sculpture, or paintings, or artwork. It’s in the worship of
those items to the exclusion of God. The same applies to putting other
things before god like cars, homes and money. The sin is in letting
something come between you and God, not in using the talents he has
given to you to brighten the world and glorify Him.
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The cherubim on the Ark of

the Covenant
Interior of the Holy place,

showing Carved cherubim,
palms, and flowers, Temple of
Solomon(above); Cherubim in the
Holy of Holies, Temple of
Solomon (left); Oxen under the
brazen sea, Temple of Solomon
(below)
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The Moroni on top of the temple is not used in the temple service, or
any ceremony that takes place therein. It is used as a symbol that it shall
be proclaimed through the whole earth that he lives and shall come
again. As it is not worshipped by the membership, it does not run afoul
of this commandment.
1
Deuteronomy 5:42
2
Dictionary.com defines graven as an adjective meaning deeply impressed; firmly fixed;
carved; sculpted
3
Exodus 37:7-9
4
2 Chronicles 3:10-13
5
2 Chronicles 3:7
6
Deuteronomy 5:3-6
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As I first heard it, the story goes like this:
Convinced the Angel Statue atop the Accra Ghana Temple was pure gold,
and under the cover of darkness, intrepid thieves scaled the spire in the
middle of the night, then, using a welding torch, sliced through the pole
on the statue and used a helicopter to steal it away.
Variations of this story often include lines like: ”You see, son, the angel
on the temple used to be pure gold. But the statue that is up there now
is bronze because…”
A few things to consider in this story:
Most of the statues have the Moroni embedded in such a way that in
order to cut through the center pole, you would have to slice off the
bottom of the ball. This means that you would find out pretty quickly the
statue is fiberglass, as it would most likely start to melt or burn.
Getting physical access to the Moroni statue on pretty much any temple
would require scaffolding or a crane. Climbing the steeple without that
type of equipment is, in many cases, not just risky, but not even
possible. In cases where the temple steeple has been scaled without
specialized equipment, the climbing took many days (and still required
some scaffolding and many ladders) or was accomplished before the
steeple had exterior cladding, meaning the exposed beams were used to
climb the structure.
The statues weigh hundreds of pounds at the least, thousands at the

most. To accomplish this theft, the helicopter would have to hook up to
the statue and hold it steady during the cutting. The downdraft from
this, even at a height, would make a cutting torch unusable. The time
required to cut the pole with a helicopter hovering overhead would
alone make the process untenable.
Outside of the United States, temples commonly have an on-site

residence for the President. In many cases, there is an onsite residence
for members traveling great distances. A Helicopter hovering over the
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temple for the time necessary to steal the statue would have summoned
the police relatively instantly.
A pure gold statue would be so heavy that it would take an extremely

large and heavy-duty helicopter to lift it.
If you have read the rest of this book, you know that none of the statues
were ever solid Gold.
So where did this story start? I’ll be honest, I don’t know, but I suspect
that the placement of the Idaho Falls temple statue played a part. In
1983, the fiberglass statue of the Angel Moroni was added to the temple
after [43] years of operation. The feat was accomplished by lifting the
statue by helicopter, and having individuals on scaffolding guide it into a
hole pre prepared on the top of the temple. No welding equipment was
needed. A similar method was used to attach a statue to the London
England temple in 2005.
After extensive research and finding nothing about any theft or attempt,
an appeal was made to the Church History Library staff. After finding
nothing themselves, a Church Historian over temples and historical sites
was consulted over this and another story and confirmed that “There is
no truth to either story. Both are fanciful myths and not supported by
any credible source.”
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A lesser story I have occasionally heard about the statues is that the
placement of the Angel Moroni Statue marks the completion of the
exterior of the temple. A corollary to this is that when the statue is
placed it means the temple dedication is one year away.
Neither of these is true.1 Both of them most likely trace back to that
first Angel Placement, the Salt Lake Temple. The statue was placed the
same day as the capstone, and, in that case, it marked the completion
of the temple exterior. Famously, the members were given a challenge
at that time to complete the interior in time for the temple to be
dedicated one year later.
We have already discussed one example where the statue was placed
well before the exterior was completed. At the Seattle Temple,
protesters were able to scale the temple and hang a sign atop the
statue because the unfinished exterior left girders open and exposed.
As for the statue being placed one year before the dedication, this also
seldom happens. At the time of writing, about 93 temples had their
statue placed within the last year, less than a year, before the
dedication. At the same time, about 43 temples had the statue place
more than a year, in one case just over 2 years before the dedication.
1
See Chapter 7- Construction Timeline for a full chart of where the angel falls in the
construction process on each temple.
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Ah, how much does an Angel Moroni Statue cost? There are many inside
and outside of the temple that see a gilded statue atop a temple to be
frivolous, extravagant expense. This is one question you will probably
never find an answer to, and one the Church is certainly unlikely to ever
answer.
However, a statue is made from three things these days. And a range of
weights for the statues are known. And estimates can be made as to
how much a statue could reasonably be considered to cost.
Each of the modern statues weighs between 220 and 500 pounds, and
consists of essentially 3 parts:
• Steel and non-conductive metal center structure

• Fiberglass shell
• Gold leaf
Of the three components, the most likely to change the weight of the
statue are the steel and metal center section.1 Next heavy would be the
shell, with the leafing making up the smallest weight. So, let’s do some
estimating and find out how much a statue potentially costs.
I have learned a thing or two from someone who has worked with the
statues before,2 and I have put together some numbers: For a small
statue, about 7 feet head to heel, the weight is typically around 220 lbs.
This breaks down to being about 140 pounds of fiberglass, with about 80
pounds of steel. Gold leaf comes in at around ½ an ounce.
For the larger statues, these numbers are roughly double, so 280 for the
fiberglass, 160 for steel, but still under an ounce for the leafing.
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Looking online, we learn that steel can be purchased for about $0.45 a
pound. Fiberglass costs x per pound. Gold leaf typically costs about x per
ounce.
Using these estimates, let’s deduce the cost of a statue now.

Total Steel * Fiber X Leaf * Total
Wt. $0.45 glass $3.33 (max) $1,400
220 140 $63 80 $266.40 .5oz $700 $1029.40
440 280 $126 160 $532.80 1oz $1,400 $2058.80
660 420 $189 240 $799.20 1.5oz $2,100 $2529.00
These numbers are, in truth, just estimates, though with a good

foundation.
The REAL cost of a statue is not in the materials. It’s in the skilled hands
that create the statue, the artisans who gild it, the hands and equipment
that install it. All the cost of a statue is actually in the creation,
placement and eventual replacement, not in the materials.
With that understanding, consider that the cost of, just for one example,
the stonework inside the temple can exceed $1,000,000 in materials
alone. When you sit and contemplate the cost of even the most
mundane materials in a temple, the statue becomes one of the cheapest
things, labor cost included, to go into the ornamentation and
construction of a temple
1
Young, Richard, Personal Interview with Brian Olson and Marvin Quist, 10 July 2018.
2
Interview by Brian Olson of Aaron Allen, painter, gilder, 10 August 2019
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I recently heard this one, and could not believe what I was hearing. The
claim was that there was a specific, defined, and symbolic reason for the
Nauvoo Temple to have the only statue on any temple facing west. I’m
not going to repeat the reason because it was unimportant, and
unbelievable anyway.
The first temple to have a westward facing statue was the Seattle
Temple.
The second was the Manilla Philippines Temple.
Nauvoo was the third.
There are now 6 temple that have directly west facing statues. There are
also a significant number of others that do not face east as well, instead
being turned North or Southward.
The reason that Nauvoo Temple has a westward facing statue is because
Joseph Smith chose to have the temple itself face westward. With the
Original Temple, the weathervane spun and faced every which way
based on the prevailing wind. When the decision was made to use a
stationary statue, President Hinckley asked that the statue face west,
like the temple itself does. That’s why the statue faces west. Because
the Prophet requested it. It was not the first to do so, it was not the last
to do so.
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As I am sure you are aware, earlier this year Moroni’s trumpet on the
Salt Lake Temple was dislodged by the earthquake in March. Someone
posted online that this was not a first-time event and there had actually
been three other times the trumpet had fallen for various reasons on
other temples, but with this fourth event trumpets that had faced north,
south, east and west had fallen, and it might be a sign.
I thought if anyone would know if there had been 4 trumpets fall that
each faced the cardinal points of the compass you would. Can you shed
any light on this question?
It needs to be remembered that, at the simplest level, the angel Moroni

Statue is nothing more than ornamentation. At the most cynical, it is
little more than branding. While it has symbolic meaning to the
members, the very first statue, the one on the Salt Lake Temple, was
actually intended to be the Angel Gabriel, similar to weather vanes and
statues on churches worldwide. An Apostle suggested the name change
during its sculpting, and the new identity stuck. It was not then intended
to represent anything more than an angelic proclamation of the divinity
of the son of god. We have built much mystique around the statue,
perhaps too much. I have not read anything that indicates that the Angel
Moroni Statue is intended/prophesied/predicted to be a sign of
anything.
This was not the recent loosing, and it was not a full loss of the trumpet,
either. During the construction of the Hotel Utah (Joseph Smith
Memorial Building) in 1910, The local Iron Workers Union became angry
that the hotel construction was not being limited to Union Workers.
John J. McNamara set of a bomb at the construction site, that, while not
hurting anyone, shattered windows all around the area, and bounced
Moroni's trumpet about 1-2 feet through the statues grasp. It hung
precariously, but it hung. It was worked back in by a daring team of
steeple jacks from New York about a month later.
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STATUE FACES: East

TRUMPET FACES: South East
(We will consider this Temple #1)
The Santiago Chile temple lost the trumpet in an 8.0 earthquake in 1985.
The trumpet was immediately returned
STATUE FACES: South South East

TRUMPET FACES: roughly South West by South
(Temple #2)
The Tokyo Temple lost its trumpet to an earthquake in 2005. It was

returned
STATUE FACES: North East

(Temple #3)
The Apia temple (new Apia, not pre-fire Apia) lost the trumpet due to an
earthquake in 2009.
STATUE FACES: East North East

TRUMPET FACES: roughly South East by East
(Temple #4)
The Santiago Chile Lost the trumpet again in 2010.
STATUE FACES: South South East

TRUMPET FACES: roughly South West by South
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(Temple #4)
This one needs no explanation, the trumpet fell into a lower parapet,
and was mangled badly. I would not be surprised if it is replaced, rather
than repaired.
STATUE FACES: East

I should mention that, since about 2010, every time one of the fiberglass
statues was renovated, a large bolt has been placed through the hand
and trumpet to prevent future loss of the trumpet. By now, most all of
the fiberglass statues should have been fixed in such a manner. Salt
Lake, being a metal statue, has had no such fix applied. It's also
interesting to note that, since the coming of President Nelson, we have
gone from 8 temples without the statue to nearly 40.
As you can see, all the statues that have dropped trumpets have faces
roughly eastward, if we include south east and north east in that. The
trumpets cover only about half the compass, rather than all 4 points.
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It goes like this:
‘Hey, did you hear that the reason Ogden and Provo Temples were so
late in getting angel statues is because they waited until after the
Original Architect died so they would not offend him?’
The Architect for the Provo and Ogden temples was Emil B. Fetzer. If you
read the previous chapter then you already know that some of his early
designs included the statue for both temples, so right away, this myth is
just wrong.
But don’t take my word for it.
The Ogden Utah Temple received an Angel Moroni Statue 18 November

2002.1 The Provo Utah Temple received an Angel Statue on 12 May
2003.2 Emil Fetzer died 6 years later, on 2 November 2009.3
Now, one possible source for this rumor might be the later renovation of
the Ogden Utah Temple. This renovation gutted the temple, inside and
out, and gave it a more classical appearance, a far cry from Fetzer’s
modernist design. The renovation and redesign for the Ogden Temple
was announced on 18 February 2010, a little over 4 months after the
architect’s death.4 While I am in no way saying that the renovation for
the Ogden Temple was purposefully scheduled for after the architect’s
death, I am saying the timing may have led some to believe that to be
the case. Over time, this could have morphed into the Angel Placement,
instead of the renovation.
1
“Ogden Utah Temple to receive improvements, Moroni statue,” The Church News, Deseret
News, 14 September 2002.
2
“Statue finds home atop Provo Utah Temple,” The Church News, Deseret News, 17 May
2003.
3
“Emil B. Fetzer,” Wikipedia
4
Scott G. Winterton, “Mormon temple in Ogden to get makeover,” Deseret News, 18
February 2010.
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How to say this?
I took some photos of a temple I was visiting in 2011. In the photos, one
of which is placed below, it is obvious that in 5 of the 9 windows panes
in one set of stained-glass windows the outer protective glass is
shattered due to what appears to be pellet gun or bb gun shot.
There are people out there that have anger issues, a severe dislike of the
Church, or just no respect for the property of others. Or even a
combination of those factors. These people might not have developed
good ways to express their anger.
There are many reasons the statues are replaced. Typically, it is due to
damage from the elements and pollution. If holes are found during the
change out, would that really be very surprising?
This myth? Probably true. But, honestly, don’t sweat it. It doesn’t change
anything.
I have put this story here in the myths section because there is no
confirmed proof that it is true, even though I personally believe it to be
likely.
Shattered
panes at
Montreal
Quebec
Temple
306 | P a g e
P a g e | 307
Know Your Moroni
308 | P a g e
Chapter3| Charts, Graphs, and Lists
Answer each question with a yes or no based on your observations of

any Moroni Statue.
Does the Statue stand Yes Is there a gold disc on top

on a granite (instead of of the sphere?
gold) sphere?
No Yes No
Is the Trumpet hand Yes

palm up?
No
Robes cover feet? Yes
No
Gold Bowl under foot (not Yes

a sphere?)
No
Is there a scroll in the left Yes

hand?
No
Is the left-hand open? Yes
No
Is the left wrist bent? Yes
No
Windswept cuff Yes
P a g e | 309
Know Your Moroni
310 | P a g e
Nauvoo Weathervane Knaphus Moroni

Length: 5 feet Height: 11’ 6”
Dallin Moroni Quilter Moroni 1

Height: 12’ 5.5” Height: 7’
Malin Moroni Quilter Moroni 2

Height: 15’ 5.5” Height: 10’ 6”
Fairbanks Moroni Wallgren Moroni

Height: 18’ Height: 5’ 11”
Height ‘a’: 15’
Quilter Moroni 3
Height: 6’ 10”
The tallest statue is the Washington D. C. Statue at an impressive 18

feet, or just more than 3 times the 5’ 11” height of the shortest
Moroni Statue.
P a g e | 311
Know Your Moroni
(Except When He Doesn’t)
Tradition says that the Angel Moroni statue faces east, the direction
that Christ is to come from when he returns to earth a second time, as
a symbolic herald of that return. The majority of statues do face east,
meaning the direction between North East and South East, with a
large percentage of them facing directly east.
However, in most cases the Angel Moroni will be placed in a manner

that compliments the look of the temple and its surroundings. This has
led to Angel Moroni proclaiming the Good News of the Gospel in
almost every direction.
Direction Statue Faces

80
71
70
60
50
40
30
20
13 13 14
10 8
6 6
3 3
1 2 1 1 1 1 2 2 2 1 2 1 2 2
0
SEbE
NEbN
NNE
SbW
SSW
E
EbN
NWbN
NE
S
ENE
SbE
SE
SSE
W
SEbS
EbS
ESE
SWbS
WbN
WbS
WNW
312 | P a g e
On the next page is a chart showing the direction each statue faces.
Following that is a table for looking up which number represents
which temple. If you don’t want to spend the time locating your
temple, the table also features arrows for quick reference.
P a g e | 313
Know Your Moroni
Alphabetical Temple List

121 ENE Aba Nigeria Temple
A NbW Abidjan Côte d'Ivoire Temple
117 NEbN Accra Ghana Temple
89 E Adelaide Australia Temple
- Alabang Philippines Temple
73 E Albuquerque New Mexico Temple
54 ENE Anchorage Alaska Temple
Antananarivo Madagascar Temple
- Antofagasta Chile Temple
22 NNE Apia Samoa Temple
167 EbS Arequipa Peru Temple
112 EbN Asunción Paraguay Temple
21 E Atlanta Georgia Temple
- Auckland New Zealand Temple
- Bacolod Philippines Temple
Bahía Blanca Argentina Temple
- Bangkok Thailand Temple
161 ENE Barranquilla Colombia Temple
94 WSW Baton Rouge Louisiana Temple
Beira Mozambique Temple
B ESE Belém Brazil Temple
- Belo Horizonte Brazil
- Bengaluru India Temple
Benin City Nigeria Temple
- Bentonville Arkansas Temple
9 EbS Bern Switzerland Temple
66 E Billings Montana Temple
98 E Birmingham Alabama Temple
61 E Bismarck North Dakota Temple
57 EbS Bogotá Colombia Temple
27 E Boise Idaho Temple
100 EbS Boston Massachusetts Temple
47 E Bountiful Utah Temple
- Brasília Brazil Temple
139 E Brigham City Utah Temple
115 E Brisbane Australia Temple
Brussels Belgium Temple
Budapest Hungary Temple
39 SE Buenos Aires Argentina Temple
- Burley Idaho
Cagayan de Oro Philippines Temple
140 E Calgary Alberta Temple
- Cali Colombia
111 EbN Campinas Brazil Temple
Cape Town South Africa Temple
314 | P a g e
96 EbN Caracas Venezuela Temple

6 - Cardston Alberta Temple
- Casper Wyoming
133 ENE Cebu City Philippines Temple
159 E Cedar City Utah Temple
35 N Chicago Illinois Temple
71 E Ciudad Juárez Mexico Temple
- Cobán Guatemala Temple
82 EbS Cochabamba Bolivia Temple
Cody Wyoming Temple
55 E Colonia Juárez Chihuahua Mexico Temple
107 E Columbia River Washington Temple
62 NEbE Columbia South Carolina Temple
60 NE Columbus Ohio Temple
160 EbN Concepción Chile Temple
118 ESE Copenhagen Denmark Temple
145 ESE Córdoba Argentina Temple
Culiacán Mexico Temple
126 EbN Curitiba Brazil Temple
30 S Dallas Texas Temple
- Davao Philippines Temple
40 E Denver Colorado Temple
- Deseret Peak Utah Temple
63 NEbE Detroit Michigan Temple
129 E Draper Utah Temple
Dubai United Arab Emirates Temple
168 Durban South Africa Temple
67 E Edmonton Alberta Temple
- Elko Nevada
Ephraim Utah
- Farmington New Mexico
N Feather River California Temple
153 E Fort Collins Colorado Temple
143 E Fort Lauderdale Florida Temple
Fort Worth Texas Temple
164 WNW Fortaleza Brazil Temple
41 E Frankfurt Germany Temple
R Freetown Sierra Leone Temple
33 EbN Freiberg Germany Temple
78 E Fresno California Temple
88 SEbE Fukuoka Japan Temple
- Grand Junction Colorado
132 NE The Gila Valley Arizona Temple
142 E Gilbert Arizona Temple
- Greater Guatemala City Guatemala Temple
105 EbN Guadalajara Mexico Temple
32 NWbN Guatemala City Guatemala Temple
P a g e | 315
Know Your Moroni
58 ESE Guayaquil Ecuador Temple

64 NNE Halifax Nova Scotia Temple
11 - Hamilton New Zealand Temple
- Harare Zimbabwe Temple
155 Hartford Connecticut Temple
Heber Valley Utah Temple
Helena Montana
124 E Helsinki Finland Temple
72 E Hermosillo Sonora Mexico Temple
48 E Hong Kong China Temple
97 NEbE Houston Texas Temple
8 EbN Idaho Falls Idaho Temple
148 E Indianapolis Indiana Temple
36 SSE Johannesburg South Africa Temple
20 E Jordan River Utah Temple
Kananga Democratic Republic of the Congo Temple
137 E Kansas City Missouri Temple
163 Kinshasa Democratic Republic of the Congo Temple
70 NEBN Kona Hawaii Temple
Kumasi Ghana Temple
134 NE Kyiv Ukraine Temple
U Lagos Nigeria Temple
5 Laie Hawaii Temple
43 E Las Vegas Nevada Temple
La Paz Bolivia Temple
V Layton Utah Temple
W Lima Peru Los Olivos Temple
38 Lima Peru Temple
L2 Lindon Utah Temple
166 ENE Lisbon Portugal Temple
2 Logan Utah Temple
12 EbN London England Temple
10 NEbE Los Angeles California Temple
76 ENE Louisville Kentucky Temple
109 E Lubbock Texas Temple
X Lubumbashi Democratic Republic of the Congo Temple
56 ESE Madrid Spain Temple
Y Managua Nicaragua Temple
138 NE Manaus Brazil Temple
119 WbS Manhattan New York Temple
29 W Manila Philippines Temple
3 Manti Utah Temple
Z McAllen Texas Temple
79 E Medford Oregon Temple
90 E Melbourne Australia Temple
80 E Memphis Tennessee Temple
A1 Mendoza Argentina Temple
316 | P a g e
92 EbS Mérida Mexico Temple

158 S Meridian Idaho Temple
7 - Mesa Arizona Temple
26 SbW Mexico City Mexico Temple
110 NE Monterrey Mexico Temple
103 NEbE Montevideo Uruguay Temple
53 E Monticello Utah Temple
86 E Montreal Quebec Temple
- Moses Lake Washington Temple
49 E Mount Timpanogos Utah Temple
- Nairobi Kenya Temple
84 EbS Nashville Tennessee Temple
113 W Nauvoo Illinois Temple
- Neiafu Tonga Temple
122 ENE Newport Beach California Temple
23 SSW Nuku'alofa Tonga Temple
13 Oakland California Temple
74 SEbS Oaxaca Mexico Temple
14 E Ogden Utah Temple
- Okinawa Japan Temple
95 ENE Oklahoma City Oklahoma Temple
130 E Oquirrh Mountain Utah Temple
- Orem Utah Temple
46 E Orlando Florida Temple
Oslo Norway Temple
- Pago Pago American Samoa Temple
77 E Palmyra New York Temple
127 NEbE Panama City Panama Temple
25 EbN Papeete Tahiti Temple
156 - Paris France Temple
146 E Payson Utah Temple
106 E Perth Australia Temple
152 E Philadelphia Pennsylvania Temple
- Phnom Penh Cambodia Temple
144 E Phoenix Arizona Temple
- Pittsburgh Pennsylvania Temple
170 WbS Pocatello Idaho Temple
- Port Moresby Papua New Guinea Temple
- Port Vila Vanuatu Temple
165 - Port-au-Prince Haiti Temple
42 E Portland Oregon Temple
102 E Porto Alegre Brazil Temple
- Praia Cabo Verde Temple
52 E Preston England Temple
150 E Provo City Center Temple
15 ESE Provo Utah Temple
K1 Puebla Mexico Temple
P a g e | 317
Know Your Moroni
Querétaro Mexico
136 E Quetzaltenango Guatemala Temple
L1 NEbE Quito Ecuador Temple
68 WbS Raleigh North Carolina Temple
101 ENE Recife Brazil Temple
Red Cliffs Utah Temple
116 E Redlands California Temple
65 E Regina Saskatchewan Temple
81 E Reno Nevada Temple
125 E Rexburg Idaho Temple
Rexburg Idaho North Temple
W Richmond Virginia Temple
O1 E Rio de Janeiro Brazil Temple
162 EbS Rome Italy Temple
Russia Temple
123 E Sacramento California Temple
4 E Salt Lake Temple
Salta Argentina Temple
- Salvador Brazil Temple
120 EbN San Antonio Texas Temple
45 EbS San Diego California Temple
87 ENE San José Costa Rica Temple
- San Juan Puerto Rico Temple
- San Pedro Sula Honduras Temple
135 E San Salvador El Salvador Temple
Santa Cruz Bolivia
24 E Santiago Chile Temple
Santiago Chile West Temple
99 E Santo Domingo Dominican Republic Temple
17 SEbE São Paulo Brazil Temple
São Paulo Brazil East Temple
151 E Sapporo Japan Temple
1 Saratoga Springs Utah Temple
19 W Seattle Washington Temple
37 SSE Seoul Korea Temple
Shanghai China Temple
Singapore Republic of Singapore Temple
- Smithfield Utah
108 W Snowflake Arizona Temple
59 W Spokane Washington Temple
1 - St. George Utah Temple
50 E St. Louis Missouri Temple
69 E St. Paul Minnesota Temple
154 W Star Valley Wyoming Temple
34 S Stockholm Sweden Temple
91 E Suva Fiji Temple
28 E Sydney Australia Temple
318 | P a g e
Syracuse Utah Temple

31 WbN Taipei Taiwan Temple
Tallahassee Florida Temple
83 ENE Tampico Mexico Temple
Tarawa Kiribati
Taylorsville Utah Temple
141 E Tegucigalpa Honduras Temple
114 E The Hague Netherlands Temple
149 SEbS Tijuana Mexico Temple
18 NE Tokyo Japan Temple
44 E Toronto Ontario Temple
Torreón Mexico
147 Trujillo Peru Temple
157 N Tucson Arizona Temple
75 EbS Tuxtla Gutiérrez Mexico Temple
128 E Twin Falls Idaho Temple
D2 Urdaneta Philippines Temple
131 NE Vancouver British Columbia Temple
93 E Veracruz Mexico Temple
51 E Vernal Utah Temple
Vienna Austria Temple
85 EbS Villahermosa Mexico Temple
Vitória Brazil Temple
16 E Washington D.C. Temple
- Willamette Valley Oregon
169 Winnipeg Manitoba Temple
104 EbN Winter Quarters Nebraska Temple
Yigo Guam Temple
- Yorba Linda California
P a g e | 319
Know Your Moroni
8, 3, 1% TBD, 6, 3%
7, 5, 2%
0, 62, 27%
6, 50, 21%
1, 1, 1%
2, 1, 0%
3, 1, 0%
3.2, 3, 1%
4, 2, 1%
5, 100, 43%
0 1 2 3 3.2 4 5 6 7 8 TBD
320 | P a g e
Occasionally, you might hear someone say that the Statue is placed
one year before the dedication. Or that the statue is placed near the
end of the construction process. Or that the statue is placed at the
halfway point.
The following chart shows that none of these are the case. There is no
correlation between the statue placement and any point during the
construction process. It is most likely placed when the Contractor feels
comfortable doing so.
-6000 -5000 -4000 -3000 -2000 -1000 0 1000
Aba Nigeria
Abidjan Ivory Coast
Accra Ghana
Adelaide Australia
Albuquerque New Mexico
Anchorage Alaska
Apia Samoa
Arequipa Peru
Asunción Paraguay
Atlanta Georgia
Barranquilla Colombia
Baton Rouge Louisiana
Belém Brazil
Billings Montana
Birmingham Alabama
Bismarck North Dakota
Bogota Colombia
Boise Idaho
Boston Massachusetts
Bountiful Utah
Brigham City Utah
Brisbane Australia
Buenos Aires Argentina
Calgary Alberta
Campinas Brazil
Caracas Venezuela
P a g e | 321
Know Your Moroni
-8000 -6000 -4000 -2000 0 2000

Cebu City Phillipines
Cedar City Utah
Chicago Illinois
Ciudad Juarez Mexico
Cochabamba Bolivia
Colonia Juarez Mexico
Columbia River Washington
Columbia South Carolina
Columbus Ohio
Concepción Chile
Copenhagen Denmark
Cordoba Argentina
Curitiba Brazil
Dallas Texas
Denver Colorado
Detroit Michigan
Draper Utah
Durban South Africa
Edmonton Alberta
Feather River California
Fort Collins Colorado
Fort Lauderdale Florida
Fortaleza Brazil
Frankfurt Germany
Fresno California
Fukuoka Japan
Gilbert Arizona
Guadalajara Mexico
Guatemala City Guatemala
Guayaquil Ecuador
Halifax Nova Scotia
Hartford Connecticut
Helsinki Finland
Hermosillo Sonora Mexico
Honk Kong China
Houston Texas
Indianapolis Indiana
Johannesburg South Africa
322 | P a g e
-8000 -6000 -4000 -2000 0 2000

Jordan River Utah
Kansas City Missouri
Kona Hawaii
Kyiv Ukraine
Las Vegas Nevada
Lima Peru
Lisbon Portugal
Los Angeles California
Louisville Kentucky
Lubbock Texas
Madrid Spain
Manaus Brazil
Manhattan New York
Manila Philippines
Medford Oregon
Melbourne Australia
Memphis Tennessee
Mérida Mexico
Meridian Idaho
Mexico City Mexico
Monterrey Mexico
Montevideo Uruguay
Monticello Utah
Montréal Québec
Nashville Tennessee
Nauvoo Illinois
Newport Beach California
Nuku’alofa Tonga
Oaxaca Mexico
Oklahoma City Oklahoma
Oquirrh Mountain Utah
Orlando Florida
Palmyra New York
Panamá City Panamá
Papeete Tahiti
Payson Utah
Perth Australia
P a g e | 323
Know Your Moroni
-4000 -3000 -2000 -1000 0 1000 2000

Perth Australia
Philadelphia Pennsylvania
Phoenix Arizona
Pocatello Idaho
Portland Oregon
Porto Alegre Brazil
Preston England
Provo City Center Utah
Quetzaltenango Guatemala
Quito Ecuador
Raleigh North Carolina
Recife Brazil
Redlands California
Regina Saskatchewan
Reno Nevada
Rexburg Idaho
Richmond Virginia
Rio de Janeiro Brazil
Rome Italy
Sacramento California
San Antonio Texas
San Diego California
San José Costa Rica
San Salvador El Salvador
Santiago Chile
Santo Domingo Dominican…
Sapporo Japan
Saratoga Springs
Seattle Washington
Seoul Korea
Snowflake Arizona
Spokane Washington
St. Louis Missouri
St. Paul Minnesota
Star Valley Wyoming
Stockholm Sweden
Suva Fiji
Sydney Australia
324 | P a g e
-4000 -3000 -2000 -1000 0 1000

Taipei Taiwan
Tampico Mexico
Tegucigalpa Honduras
The Gila Valley Arizona
The Hague Netherlands
Tijuana Mexico
Toronto Ontario
Trujillo Peru
Tucson Arizona
Tuxtla Gutierrez Mexico
Twin Falls Idaho
Urdaneta Phillipines
Vancouver British Columbia
Veracruz Mexico
Vernal Utah
Villahermosa Mexico
Washington D. C.
Winnipeg Manitoba
Winter Quarters Nebraska
P a g e | 325
Know Your Moroni
Statue Placement Number of Model

Salt Lake City 6 April 1892 1

Los Angeles California 19 October 1954 1

Washington D. C. 11 May 1973 1
Seattle Washington 25 October 1979 2
Jordan River Utah 7 August 1981 3
Mexico City Mexico September 1982 4

Atlanta Georgia (Since replaced) 12 August 1982 1
Idaho Falls Idaho 5 September 1983 2
Boston Massachusetts 21 September 2001 3

Nuku’alofa Tonga 8 January 1983 1
Papeete Tahiti 18 January 1983 2
Santiago Chile First Quarter 1983 3
Apia Samoa May 1983 4
Guatemala City Guatemala ~1983 5
Boise Idaho 15 September 1983 6
Dallas Texas 8 February 1984 7
Manila Philippines 11 February 1984 8
Johannesburg South Africa. August or September 9*
1984
Chicago Illinois 7 September 1984 10*
Lima Peru 11 December 1984 11
Taipei Taiwan 21 April 1984 12
Stockholm Sweden January 1985 13
Seoul Korea August 1985 14*
Sydney Australia 3 September 1985 15*
Denver Colorado 19 September 1985 16*
Buenos Aires Argentina 23 May 1985 17*
326 | P a g e
Frankfurt Germany 18 February 1986 18

Orlando Florida 1 May 1993 19
Hong Kong China 12 December 1995 20
St. Louis Missouri 9 May 1996 21
Preston England 10 June 1997 22
Atlanta Georgia 9-14 August 1997 23
Madrid Spain 14 September 1998 24
Billings Montana 12 November 1998 25
Colonia Juárez Chihuahua México 17 December 1998 26
Spokane Washington 21 April 1999 27
Monticello Utah 25 May 1999 28
Houston Texas 16 June 1999 29
Albuquerque New Mexico 18 June 1999 30
Detroit Michigan 8 July 1999 31
Columbia South Carolina 21 July 1999 32
Saint Paul Minnesota 21 September 1999 33
Edmonton Alberta 1 September 1999 34
Raleigh North Carolina 1 September 1999 35
Ciudad Juárez México 2 October 1999 36
Halifax Nova Scotia 4 October 1999 37
Palmyra New York 21 October 1999 38
Hermosillo Sonora México November 1999 39*
Regina Saskatchewan 3 November 1999 10*
Louisville Kentucky 8 November 1999 41*
Fukuoka Japan 8 November 1999 42*
Memphis Tennessee 13 November 1999 43*
Medford Oregon 26 November 1999 44*
Oaxaca México 26 November 1999 45*
Tuxtla Gutiérrez México 27 November 1999 46*
Montréal Québec 1 December 1999-31 47*
January 2000
Villahermosa México Before 28 December 48*
1999
Fresno California 4 December 1999 49*
Baton Rouge Louisiana 28 December 1999 50*
Mérida México 15 January 2000 51*
Nashville Tennessee 8 February 2000 52*
Cochabamba Bolivia 14 February 2000 53*
Melbourne Australia 17 February 2000 54*
San José Costa Rica 26 February 2000 55*
Suva Fiji 1 April 2000 56*
Adelaide Australia 11 April 2000 57*
Oklahoma City Oklahoma 9 March 2000 58*
Tampico México Before March 23 2000 59*
Birmingham Alabama 30 March 2000 60*
Porto Alegre Brazil 15 August 2000 61
Perth Australia 21 September 2000 62
P a g e | 327
Know Your Moroni
Montevideo Uruguay 25 September 2000 63

Winter Quarters Nebraska 7 November 2000 64
Veracruz México 27 November 2000 65
Guadalajara México 23 September 2000 66
Snowflake Arizona 21 July 2001 67
The Hague Netherlands 21 September 2001 68
Asunción Paraguay 17 October 2001 69
Freiberg Germany 20 December 2001 70
Brisbane Australia 16 July 2002 71
Copenhagen Denmark 15 August 2003 72
Sao Paulo 20 August 2003 73
Aba Nigeria 23 February 2004 74
Newport Beach California 13 January 2005 75
Helsinki Finland 13 October 2005 76
London England 15 December 2008 77
Vancouver British Columbia 10 March 2009 78
Kyiv Ukraine 19 September 2009 79
The Gila Valley Arizona 22 September 2009 80
San Salvador El Salvador 8 December 2010 81
Tegucigalpa Honduras 4 November 2011 82
Calgary Alberta 12 January 2012 83
Fort Lauderdale Florida 24 October 2012 84
Phoenix Arizona 15 May 2013 85
Cordoba Argentina 13 August 2014 86
Indianapolis Indiana 17 October 2014 87
Trujillo Peru 14 August 2014 88
Sapporo Japan 15 May 2015 89
Fort Collins Colorado 26 August 2015 90
Tucson Arizona 7 July 2016 91
Barranquilla Colombia 15 November 2017 92
Concepción Chile 29 March 2018 93
Fortaleza Brazil 27 June 2018 94
Durban South Africa 25 October 2018 95
Lisbon Portugal 19 November 2018 96
Winnipeg Manitoba 28 July 2020 97
Quito Ecuador 8 December 2020 98
Abidjan Ivory Coast (Silver) 15 April 2021 99
Belém Brazil 25 May 2021 100
Feather River California 9 February 20222 101

Las Vegas Nevada 27 January 1988 1
Portland Oregon 11 May 1988 2
Toronto Ontario 23 June-21 July 1989 3
San Diego California 23 December 1991 4
Bountiful Utah 18 October 1993 5
328 | P a g e
Mount Timpanogos Utah 17 July 1995 6

Vernal Utah 26 September 1996 7
Bogotá Colombia 24 September 1998 8
Guayaquil Ecuador 5 February 1999 9
Santo Domingo Dominican Republic 2 September 1999 10
Recife Brazil 17 March 2000 11
Campinas Brazil 29 January 2001 12
Columbia River Washington 27 June 2001 13
Lubbock Texas 30 November 2001 14*
Monterrey México November 2001 15*
Ogden Utah 18 November 2002 16*
Provo Utah 12 May 2003 17
Redlands California 13 March 2003 18
Accra Ghana 17 April 2003 19
San Antonio Texas 21 September 2004 20
Tokyo Japan 10 December 2004 21
Bern Switzerland 7 September 2005 22
Rexburg Idaho 21 September 2006 23
Sacramento California 16 March 2006 24
Panamá City Panamá 4 May 2007 25
Twin Falls Idaho 30 May 2007 26
Curitiba Brazil 11 January 2008 27
Draper Utah 8 July 2008 28
Oquirrh Mountain Utah 11 July 2008 29
Cebu City Philippines 5 November 2009 30
Kansas City Missouri 1 October 2010 31
Quetzaltenango Guatemala 1 October 2010 32
Brigham City Utah 12 July 2011 33
Manaus Brazil 5 October 2011 34
Gilbert Arizona 15 May 2012 35
Ogden Utah 7 May 2013 -
Payson Utah 10 October 2013 36
Provo City Center Utah 31 March 2014 37
Tijuana México 15 April 2014 38
Hartford Connecticut 11 December 2015 39
Philadelphia Pennsylvania 30 December 2015 40
Star Valley Wyoming 25 April 2016 41
Meridian Idaho 20 July 2016 42
Cedar City Utah 15 September 2016 43
Rome Italy 25 March 2017 44
Arequipa Peru 30 November 2018 45
Rio de Janeiro Brazil 22 February 2019 46
Pocatello Idaho 10 March 2021 47
Richmond Virginia 13 April 2021 48
Saratoga Springs Utah 20 August 2021 49
Layton Utah 9 March 2022 50
P a g e | 329
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Reno Nevada 18 February 2000 1
Nauvoo Illinois 21 September 2001 2
Manhattan New York 9 October 2004 3

Monticello Utah (White, Since 14 May 1998 1
Replaced)
Anchorage Alaska 17 December 1998 2
Bismarck North Dakota 10 June 1999 3
Kona Hawaii 23 September 1999 4
Columbus Ohio 5 June 1999 5
Caracas Venezuela 20 March 2000 6
Statue Previously
added Had
Dedication Date Later Statue
St. George Utah 6–8 April 1877
Logan Utah 17–19 May 1884
Manti Utah 21–23 May 1888
Laie Hawaii 27–30 November 1919
Cardston Alberta 26–29 August 1923
Mesa Arizona 23–26 October 1927
Idaho Falls Idaho 23–25 September 1945 🗸
Bern Switzerland 11–15 September 1955 🗸
Hamilton New Zealand 20–22 April 1958
London England 7–9 September 1958 🗸
Oakland California 17–19 November 1964
Ogden Utah 18–20 January 1972 🗸
Provo Utah 9 February 1972 🗸 🗸
Tokyo Japan 27–29 October 1980 🗸
Paris France 21 May 2017
Kinshasa DRC 14 April 2019
Port-au-Prince Haiti 1 September 2019
Yigo Guam 22 May 2022
Bangkok Thailand
Praia Cabo Verde
San Juan Puerto Rico
Lima Peru Los Olivos
330 | P a g e
Alabang Philippines
Auckland New Zealand
Orem Utah
San Pedro Sula Honduras
Brasilia Brazil
Moses Lake Washington
Taylorsville Utah
Bentonville Arkansas
Coban Guatemala
Davao Philippines
McAllen Texas
Antofogasta Chile
Bengaluru India
Okinawa Japan
Harare Zimbabwe
Mendoza Argentina
Deseret Peak Utah
Tallahassee Florida
Syracuse Utah
Helena Montana
Salvador Brazil
Pittsburgh Pennsylvania
Neiafu Tonga
Phnom Penh Cambodia
Casper Wyoming
Pago Pago American Samoa
Bacolod Philippines
Port Mresby Papua New Guinea
Freetown Sierra Leone
Lindon Utah
Tarawa Kiribati
Port Vila Vanuatu
Greater Guatemala City
Elko Nevada
Smithfield Utah
Grand Junction Colorado
Farmington New Mexico
Burley Idaho
Yorba Linda California
Willamette Valley Oregon
Belo Horizonte Brazil
Cali Colombia
Torreaon Mexico
Cape Town South Africa
Queretaro Mexico
Bahai Blanca Argentina
P a g e | 331
Know Your Moroni
This list is sorted chronologically by dedication date AND Statue

placement date. There will be a second listing for a temple if the
statue was added after dedication.
Temple Dedication Date Statue Statue Place Date
Kirtland Ohio 27 March 1836 WV
Nauvoo Illinois (1846) 1 May 1846 WV 30 January 1846
St. George Utah 4 June 1877 WV
Logan Utah 17 May 1884 WV
Manti Utah 21 May 1888 None
Salt Lake 6 April 1893 1 6 April 1892
Laie Hawaii 27 November 1919 None
Cardston Alberta 26 August 1923 None
Mesa Arizona 23 October 1927 None
Idaho Falls Idaho 23 September 1945 None
Bern Switzerland 11 September 1955 None
Los Angeles California 11 March 1956 2 19 October 1954
Hamilton New Zealand 20 April 1958 None
London England 7 September 1958 None
Oakland California 17 November 1964 None
Ogden Utah 18 January 1972 None
Provo Utah 9 February 1972 None
Washington DC 19 November 1974 3 11 May 1973
Mesa Arizona (1975) 15 April 1975 None
São Paulo Brazil 30 October 1978 None
Tokyo Japan 27 October 1980 None
Seattle Washington 17 November 1980 3 25 October 1979
Jordan River Utah 16 November 1981 3 7 August 1981
Atlanta Georgia 1 June 1983 4 12 August 1982
Apia Samoa 5 August 1983 5 May 1983
Nuku’alofa Tonga 9 August 1983 5 8 January 1983
Santiago Chile 15 September 1983 5 Early 1983
Papeete Tahiti 27 October 1983 5 18 January 1983
México City México 2 December 1983 3 September 1982
Boise Idaho 25 May 1984 5 15 September 1983
Sydney Australia 20 September 1984 5 3 September 1985
Idaho Falls Idaho – 4 5 September 1983
Manila Philippines 25 September 1984 5 11 February 1984
Dallas Texas 19 October 1984 5 8 February 1984
Taipei Taiwan 17 November 1984 5 21 April 1984
Guatemala City Guat. 14 December 1984 5 ~1983
Freiberg Germany 29 June 1985 None
Stockholm Sweden 2 July 1985 5 January 1985
Chicago Illinois 9 August 1985 5 7 September 1984
332 | P a g e
Johannesburg S Africa 24 August 1985 5 Aug or Sept 1984

Seoul Korea 14 December 1985 5 August 1985
Lima Peru 10 January 1986 5 11 December 1984
Buenos Aires 17 January 1986 5 23 May 1985
Argentina
Denver Colorado 24 October 1986 5 19 September 1985
Frankfurt Germany 28 August 1987 5 18 February 1986
Portland Oregon 19 August 1989 6 11 May 1988
Las Vegas Nevada 16 December 1989 6 27 January 1988
Toronto Ontario 25 August 1990 6 23 June-21 July 1989
San Diego California 25 April 1993 6 23 December 1991
Orlando Florida 9 October 1994 5 1 May 1993
Bountiful Utah 8 January 1995 6 18 October 1993
Hong Kong China 26 May 1996 5 12 December 1995
Mount Timpanogos 13 October 1996 6 17 July 1995
Utah
St. Louis Missouri 1 June 1997 5 9 May 1996
Vernal Utah 2 November 1997 5 26 September 1996
Atlanta Georgia – 5 ~1997
Preston England 7 June 1998 5 10 June 1997
Monticello Utah 26 July 1998 (White) 14 May 1998
7
Anchorage Alaska 9 January 1999 7 17 December 1998
Colonia Juárez México 6 March 1999 5 17 December 1998
Madrid Spain 19 March 1999 5 14 September 1998
Bogotá Colombia 24 April 1999 6 24 September 1998
Guayaquil Ecuador 1 August 1999 6 5 February 1999
Spokane Washington 21 August 1999 5 21 April 1999
Monticello Utah – 5 25 May 1999
(1999)
Columbus Ohio 4 September 1999 7 5 July 1999
Bismarck North 19 September 1999 7 10 June 1999
Dakota
Columbia South 16 October 1999 6 21 July 1999
Carolina
Detroit Michigan 23 October 1999 5 8 July 1999
Halifax Nova Scotia 14 November 1999 5 4 October 1999
Regina Saskatchewan 14 November 1999 5 3 November 1999
Billings Montana 20 November 1999 5 12 November 1998
Edmonton Alberta 11 December 1999 5 1 September 1999
Raleigh North Carolina 18 December 1999 5 1 September 1999
St. Paul Minnesota 9 January 2000 5 21 September 1999
Kona Hawaii 23 January 2000 7 23 September 1999
Ciudad Juárez México 26 February 2000 5 2 October 1999
Hermosillo Sonora Mx 27 February 2000 5 November 1999
Albuquerque New 5 March 2000 5 18 June 1999
Mexico
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Oaxaca México 11 March 2000 5 26 November 1999

Tuxtla Gutiérrez 12 March 2000 5 27 November 1999
México
Louisville Kentucky 19 March 2000 5 8 November 1999
Palmyra New York 6 April 2000 5 21 October 1999
Fresno California 9 April 2000 5 4 December 1999
Medford Oregon 16 April 2000 5 26 November 1999
Memphis Tennessee 23 April 2000 5 13 November 1999
Reno Nevada 23 April 2000 8 18 February 2000
Cochabamba Bolivia 30 April 2000 5 14 February 2000
Tampico México 20 May 2000 5 Before 23 March 2000
Nashville Tennessee 21 May 2000 5 8 February 2000
Villahermosa México 21 May 2000 5 Before 28 December
1999
Montréal Québec 4 June 2000 5 1 December 1999-31
January 2000
San José Costa Rica 4 June 2000 5 26 February 2000
Fukuoka Japan 11 June 2000 5 8 November 1999
Adelaide Australia 15 June 2000 5 11 April 2000
Melbourne Australia 16 June 2000 5 17 February 2000
Suva Fiji 18 June 2000 5 1 April 2000
Mérida México 8 July 2000 5 15 January 2000
Veracruz México 9 July 2000 5 27 November 2000
Baton Rouge Louisiana 16 July 2000 5 28 December 1999
Oklahoma City OK 30 July 2000 5 9 March 2000
Caracas Venezuela 20 August 2000 7 20 March 2000
Houston Texas 26 August 2000 5 16 June 1999
Birmingham Alabama 3 September 2000 5 30 March 2000
Santo Domingo D.R. 17 September 2000 6 2 September 1999
Boston Massachusetts 1 October 2000 4 21 September 2001
Recife Brazil 15 December 2000 6 17 March 2000
Porto Alegre Brazil 17 December 2000 5 15 August 2000
Montevideo Uruguay 18 March 2001 5 25 September 2000
Winter Quarters NB 22 April 2001 5 7 November 2000
Guadalajara México 29 April 2001 5 23 September 2000
Perth Australia 20 May 2001 5 21 September 2000
Columbia River WA 18 November 2001 5 27 June 2001
Freiberg Germany – 5 20 December 2001
(2002)
Snowflake Arizona 3 March 2002 5 21 July 2001
Lubbock Texas 21 April 2002 6 30 November 2001
Monterrey México 28 April 2002 6 November 2001
Campinas Brazil 17 May 2002 6 29 January 2001
Asunción Paraguay 19 May 2002 5 17 October 2001
Nauvoo Illinois 27 June 2002 8 21 September 2001
The Hague 8 September 2002 5 21 September 2001
Netherlands
334 | P a g e
Ogden Utah – 6 18 November 2002

Provo Utah – 6 12 May 2003
Brisbane Australia 15 June 2003 5 16 July 2002
Sau Paulo Brazil – 5 20 August 2003
Redlands California 14 September 2003 6 13 March 2003
Accra Ghana 11 January 2004 5 17 April 2003
São Paulo Brazil refurb 22 February 2004 5 20 August 2003
Copenhagen Denmark 23 May 2004 5 15 August 2003
Manhattan New York 13 June 2004 8 9 October 2004
Tokyo Japan 6 10 December 2004
San Antonio Texas 22 May 2005 6 21 September 2004
Aba Nigeria 7 August 2005 5 23 February 2004
Newport Beach 28 August 2005 5 13 January 2005
California
Apia Samoa (2005) 4 September 2005 5 25 January 2005
Bern Switzerland – 6 7 September 2005
Sacramento California 3 September 2006 6 16 March 2006
Helsinki Finland 22 October 2006 5 13 October 2005
Rexburg Idaho 10 February 2008 6 21 September 2006
Curitiba Brazil 1 June 2008 6 11 January 2008
Panamá City Panamá 10 August 2008 6 4 May 2007
Twin Falls Idaho 24 August 2008 6 30 May 2007
Draper Utah 20 March 2009 6 8 July 2008
Oquirrh Mountain 21 August 2009 6 11 July 2008
Utah
London England – 5 15 December 2008
(1992)
Vancouver B.C. 2 May 2010 5 10 March 2009
Gila Valley Arizona 23 May 2010 5 22 September 2009
Cebu City Philippines 13 June 2010 6 5 November 2009
Kyiv Ukraine 29 August 2010 5 19 September 2009
Atlanta Georgia 1 May 2011 5 ~1997
(2011)
San Salvador El Sal 21 August 2011 5 8 December 2010
Quetzaltenango Guat 11 December 2011 6 1 October 2010
Kansas City Missouri 6 May 2012 6 1 October 2010
Manaus Brazil 10 June 2012 6 5 October 2011
Buenos Aires AR 9 September 2012 5 1 August 2011
(2012)
Brigham City Utah 23 September 2012 6 12 July 2011
Calgary Alberta 28 October 2012 5 12 January 2012
Boise Idaho (2012) 18 November 2012 5 16 February 2012
Tegucigalpa Honduras 17 March 2013 5 4 November 2011
Gilbert Arizona 2 March 2014 6 15 May 2012
Fort Lauderdale 4 May 2014 5 24 October 2012
Florida
Ogden Utah (2014) 21 September 2014 6 7 May 2013
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Phoenix Arizona 15 November 2014 5 15 May 2013

Cordoba Argentina 17 May 2015 5 13 August 2014
Payson Utah 7 June 2015 6 10 October 2013
Trujillo Peru 21 June 2015 5 14 August 2014
Indianapolis Indiana 23 August 2015 5 17 October 2014
Montréal Québec 22 November 2015 5 November 2014
(2015)
Tijuana México 13 December 2015 6 15 April 2014
Provo City Center Utah 20 March 2016 6 31 March 2014
Sapporo Japan 21 August 2016 5 15 May 2015
Philadelphia 18 September 2016 6 30 December 2015
Pennsylvania
Fort Collins Colorado 16 October 2016 5 26 August 2015
Star Valley Wyoming 30 October 2016 6 25 April 2016
Hartford Connecticut 20 November 2016 6 11 December 2015
Paris France 21 May 2017 None
Tucson Arizona 13 August 2017 5 7 July 2016
Meridian Idaho 19 November 2017 6 20 July 2016
Cedar City Utah 10 December 2017 6 15 September 2016
Concepción Chile 28 October 2018 5 29 March 2018
Barranquilla Colombia 9 December 2018 5 15 November 2017
Rome Italy 10 March 2019 6 25 March 2017
Kinshasa DRC 14 April 2019 None
Fortaleza Brazil 2 June 2019 5 27 June 2018
Port-au-Prince Haiti 19 May 2019 None
Lisbon Portugal 15 September 2019 5 19 November 2018
Arequipa Peru 15 December 2019 6 30 November 2018
Durban South Africa 16 February 2020 5 25 October 2018
Winnipeg Manitoba 31 October 2021 5 28 July 2020
Pocatello Idaho 7 November 2021 6 10 March 2021
Rio de Janeiro Brazil 8 May 2022 5 17 May 2020
Quito Ecuador 5 8 December 2020
Abidjan Ivory Coast 5 15 April 2021
Urdaneta Philippines
Bangkok Thailand None
Richmond Virginia 6 13 April 2021
Praia Cabo Verde None
Yigo Guam None
San Juan Puerto Rico None
Lima Peru Los Olivos None
Belém Brazil 5 25 May 2021
Harare Zimbabwe None
Brasilia Brazil None
Alabang Philippines None
Nairobi Kenya None
Saratoga Springs Utah 6 20 August 2021
Salta Argentina
336 | P a g e
Bengaluru India None

Managua Nicaragua
Cagayan de Oro
Philippines
Layton Utah 6 9 March 2022
Russia Temple
Mendoza Argentina None
Salvador Brazil None
Feather River 5 9 February 2022
California
Phnom Penh None
Cambodia
Puebla Mexico
Auckland New Zealand None
Lagos Nigeria
Davao Philippines None
Red Cliffs Utah
Pago Pago American None
Samoa
Okinawa Japan None
Neiafu Tonga None
Tooele Valley Utah None
Moses Lake None
Washington
San Pedro Sula None
Honduras
Antofagasta Chile None
Budapest Hungary
Freetown Sierra Leone
Orem Utah None
Port Moresby Papua None
New Guinea
Bentonville Arkansas None
Bacolod Philippines None
McAllen Texas None
Cobán Guatemala None
Taylorsville Utah None
Syracuse Utah None
Shanghai China
Bahía Blanca
Argentina
Tallahassee Florida None
Lubumbashi DRC
Pittsburgh None
Pennsylvania
Benin City Nigeria
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Dubai United Arab

Emirates
Tarawa Kiribati None
Port Vila Vanuatu None
Lindon Utah None
Greater Guatemala None
City Guatemala
São Paulo Brazil East
Santa Cruz Bolivia
Oslo Norway
Brussels Belgium
Vienna Austria
Kumasi Ghana
Beira Mozambique
Cape Town South None
Africa
Singapore Republic of
Singapore
Belo Horizonte Brazil None
Cali Colombia None
Querétaro Mexico None
Torreón Mexico None
Helena Montana None
Casper Wyoming None
Grand Junction None
Colorado
Farmington New None
Mexico
Burley Idaho None
Willamette Valley None
Oregon
Elko Nevda None
Yorba Lindo None
Smithfield Utah None
Ephraim Utah
Kaohsiung Taiwan
Tacloban City
Philippines
Monrovia Liberia
Kananga DRC
Antananarivo
Madagascar
Culiacán Mexico
Vitória Brazil
La Paz Bolivia
Santiago Chile West
Fort Worth Texas
338 | P a g e
Cody Wyoming
Rexburg Idaho North
Heber Valley Utah
This list is sorted chronologically Statue placement date. There will be

a second listing for a temple if the statue model or direction was
changed. Only Temples with or that had a statue are listed.
Temple Model Total Statue Place Date
Salt Lake 1 1 6 April 1892

Los Angeles California 2 2 19 October 1954
Washington DC 3 3 11 May 1973
Seattle Washington 3 4 25 October 1979
Jordan River Utah 3 5 7 August 1981
Atlanta Georgia 4 6 12 August 1982
México City México 3 7 September 1982
Guatemala City Guat 5 8 ~1983
Santiago Chile 5 9 Early 1983
Papeete Tahiti 5 10 18 January 1983
Nuku’alofa Tonga 5 11 8 January 1983
Apia Samoa 5 12 May 1983
Idaho Falls Idaho 4 13 5 September 1983
Boise Idaho 5 15 15 September 1983
Dallas Texas 5 15 8 February 1984
Manila Philippines 5 16 11 February 1984
Taipei Taiwan 5 17 21 April 1984
Johannesburg S Africa 5 18 Aug or Sept 1984
Chicago Illinois 5 19 7 September 1984
Stockholm Sweden 5 20 January 1985
Buenos Aires Argentina 5 21 23 May 1985
Seoul Korea 5 22 August 1985
Sydney Australia 5 23 3 September 1985
Denver Colorado 5 24 19 September 1985
Lima Peru 5 25 11 December 1985
Frankfurt Germany 5 26 18 February 1986
Las Vegas Nevada 6 27 27 January 1988
Portland Oregon 6 28 11 May 1988
Toronto Ontario 6 29 23 June -21 July 1989
San Diego California 6 30 23 December 1991
Orlando Florida 5 31 01 May 1993
Bountiful Utah 6 32 18 October 1993
Mount Timpanogos Utah 6 33 17 July 1995
Hong Kong China 5 34 12 December 1995
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St. Louis Missouri 5 35 9 May 1996

Vernal Utah 5 36 26 September 1996
Atlanta Georgia 5 - ~1997
Preston England 5 37 10 June 1997
Monticello Utah (White) 7 38 14 May 1998
Madrid Spain 5 39 14 September 1998
Bogotá Colombia 6 40 24 September 1998
Billings Montana 5 41 12 November 1998
Anchorage Alaska 7 42 17 December 1998
Colonia Juárez México 5 43 17 December 1998
Guayaquil Ecuador 6 44 5 February 1999
Spokane Washington 5 45 21 April 1999
Monticello Utah (1999) 5 46 25 May 1999
Bismarck North Dakota 7 47 10 June 1999
Houston Texas 5 48 16 June 1999
Albuquerque New Mexico 5 49 18 June 1999
Columbus Ohio 7 50 5 July 1999
Detroit Michigan 5 51 8 July 1999
Columbia South Carolina 6 52 21 July 1999
Edmonton Alberta 5 53 01 September 1999
Raleigh North Carolina 5 54 01 September 1999
Santo Domingo D.R. 6 55 02 September 1999
St. Paul Minnesota 5 56 21 September 1999
Kona Hawaii 7 57 23 September 1999
Ciudad Juárez México 5 58 02 October 1999
Halifax Nova Scotia 5 59 04 October 1999
Palmyra New York 5 60 21 October 1999
Hermosillo Sonora Mx 5 61 November 1999
Regina Saskatchewan 5 62 03 November 1999
Louisville Kentucky 5 63 08 November 1999
Fukuoka Japan 5 64 08 November 1999
Memphis Tennessee 5 65 13 November 1999
Oaxaca México 5 66 26 November 1999
Medford Oregon 5 67 26 November 1999
Veracruz México 5 68 27 November 1999
Tuxtla Gutiérrez México 5 69 27 November 1999
Villahermosa México 5 70 Before 28 December
1999
Fresno California 5 71 04 December 1999
Baton Rouge Louisiana 5 72 28 December 1999
Montréal Québec 5 73 1 December 1999-31
January 2000
Mérida México 5 74 15 January 2000
Nashville Tennessee 5 75 08 February 2000
Cochabamba Bolivia 5 76 14 February 2000
340 | Page
Chapter9| Temple Lookup
Melbourne Australia 5 77 17 February 2000

Reno Nevada 8 78 18 February 2000
San José Costa Rica 5 79 26 February 2000
Oklahoma City OK 5 80 9 March 2000
Recife Brazil 6 81 17 March 2000
Caracas Venezuela 7 82 20 March 2000
Tampico México 5 83 Before 23 March 2000
Birmingham Alabama 5 84 30 March 2000
Suva Fiji 5 85 1 April 2000
Adelaide Australia 5 86 11 April 2000
Porto Alegre Brazil 5 87 15 August 2000
Perth Australia 5 88 21 September 2000
Guadalajara México 5 89 23 September 2000
Montevideo Uruguay 5 90 25 September 2000
Winter Quarters NB 5 91 7 November 2000
Campinas Brazil 6 92 29 January 2001
Columbia River WA 5 93 27 June 2001
Snowflake Arizona 5 94 21 July 2001
Boston Massachusetts 4 95 21 September 2001
Nauvoo Illinois 8 96 21 September 2001
The Hague Netherlands 5 97 21 September 2001
Asunción Paraguay 5 98 17 October 2001
Monterrey México 6 99 November 2001
Lubbock Texas 6 100 30 November 2001
Freiberg Germany (2002) 5 101 20 December 2001
Brisbane Australia 5 102 16 July 2002
Ogden Utah 6 103 18 November 2002
Redlands California 6 104 13 March 2003
Accra Ghana 5 105 17 April 2003
Provo Utah 6 106 12 May 2003
Copenhagen Denmark 5 107 15 August 2003
Sau Paulo Brazil 5 108 20 August 2003
São Paulo Brazil refurb 5 109 20 August 2003
Aba Nigeria 5 110 23 February 2004
San Antonio Texas 6 111 21 September 2004
Manhattan New York 8 112 09 October 2004
Tokyo Japan 6 113 10 December 2004
Newport Beach California 5 114 13 January 2005
Bern Switzerland 6 115 07 September 2005
Helsinki Finland 5 116 13 October 2005
Sacramento California 6 117 16 March 2006
Rexburg Idaho 6 118 21 September 2006
Panamá City Panamá 6 119 04 May 2007
Twin Falls Idaho 6 120 30 May 2007
Curitiba Brazil 6 121 11 January 2008
Page | 341
Know Your Moroni
Draper Utah 6 122 08 July 2008

Oquirrh Mountain Utah 6 123 11 July 2008
London England (1992) 5 124 15 December 2008
Vancouver B.C. 5 125 10 March 2009
Kyiv Ukraine 5 126 19 September 2009
Gila Valley Arizona 5 127 22 September 2009
Cebu City Philippines 6 128 05 November 2009
Quetzaltenango Guat 6 129 01 October 2010
Kansas City Missouri 6 130 01 October 2010
San Salvador El Sal 5 131 08 December 2010
Brigham City Utah 6 132 12 July 2011
Manaus Brazil 6 133 05 October 2011
Tegucigalpa Honduras 5 134 04 November 2011
Calgary Alberta 5 135 12 January 2012
Gilbert Arizona 6 136 15 May 2012
Fort Lauderdale Florida 5 137 24 October 2012
Phoenix Arizona 5 138 15 May 2013
Payson Utah 6 139 10 October 2013
Provo City Center Utah 6 140 31 March 2014
Tijuana México 6 141 15 April 2014
Cordoba Argentina 5 142 13 August 2014
Trujillo Peru 5 143 14 August 2014
Indianapolis Indiana 5 144 17 October 2014
Sapporo Japan 5 145 15 May 2015
Fort Collins Colorado 5 146 26 August 2015
Hartford Connecticut 6 147 11 December 2015
Philadelphia Pennsylvania 6 148 30 December 2015
Star Valley Wyoming 6 149 25 April 2016
Tucson Arizona 5 150 07 July 2016
Meridian Idaho 6 151 20 July 2016
Cedar City Utah 6 152 15 September 2016
Rome Italy 6 153 25 March 2017
Barranquilla Colombia 5 154 15 November 2017
Concepción Chile 5 155 29 March 2018
Fortaleza Brazil 5 156 27 June 2018
Durban South Africa 5 157 25 October 2018
Lisbon Portugal 5 158 19 November 2018
Arequipa Peru 6 159 30 November 2018
Hong Kong China REMOVED 158 ~2019
Rio de Janeiro Brazil 5 159 17 May 2020
Winnipeg Manitoba 5 160 28 July 2020
Quito Ecuador 5 161 08 December 2020
Pocatello Idaho 6 162 10 March 2021
Richmond Virginia 6 163 13 April 2021
Abidjan Côte d'Ivoire 5 164 15 April 2021
342 | Page
Belém Brazil 5 165 25 May 2021

Saratoga Springs Utah 6 166 20 August 2021
Feather River California 5 167 9 February 2022
Layton Utah 6 168 9 March 1992
Salta Agentina
Puebla Mexico
Red Cliffs Utah
Urdaneta Philippines
Provo Utah REMOVED TBA
Page | 343
Know Your Moroni
344 | Page
ANNOUNCED: 2 April 2000

GROUNDBREAKING: 23 February 2002
DEDICATED: 7 August 2005
PLACED: 23 February 2004

FACES: East North East
REPLACED: 10 March 2018
Page | 345
Know Your Moroni

GROUNDBREAKING: 8 November 2018
DEDICATED: TBA
SILVER
PLACED: TBA
FACES: TBA
346 | Page
ANNOUNCED: 16 February 1998

DEDICATED: 11 January 2004
PLACED: 17 April 2003

FACES: North East by North
REPLACED: 2 February 2018
Page | 347
Know Your Moroni
ANNOUNCED: 17 March 1999

GROUNDBREAKING: 29 May 1999
DEDICATED: 15 June 2000

FACES: East
348 | Page

GROUNDBREAKING: 4 June 2020
DEDICATED: TBA
NONE
Page | 349
Know Your Moroni

DEDICATED: 5 March 2000
PLACED: 18 June 1999

FACES: East
350 | Page
ANNOUNCED: 3 October 2021

GROUNDBREAKING: TBA
DEDICATED: TBA
PLACED: TBA
FACES: TBA
Page | 351
Know Your Moroni

GROUNDBREAKING: 17 April 1998
REMODEL ANNOUNCED: 16 February 1998
COMMENCED: 1 April 2003
DEDICATED: 8 February 2004
PLACED 17 December 1998

The Anchorage Temple was drastically expanded in 2003-2004. The original

spire of the temple remained untouched during the remodel with the Moroni
still in place.
352 | Page

DEDICATED: TBA
NONE
Page | 353
Know Your Moroni

RENOVATION BEGINS: Spring 2003
FIRE: 9 July 2003
REBUILDING ANNOUNCED: 16 July 2003
GROUNDBREAKING: 19 October 2003
DEDICATED: 4 September 2005
1983
PLACED: May 1983
FACES: South East
RETURNED: 25 January 2005
FACES: North North East
REPLACED: 9 February 2010 2005
354 | Page

GROUNDBREAKING: 4 March 2017
DEDICATED: 15 December 2019
PLACED: 30 November 2018

FACES: East by South
Page | 355
Know Your Moroni

DEDICATED: 19 May 2002
REMODEL ANNOUNCED: 11 April 2017
COMMENCED: October 29, 2017
DEDICATED: 3 November 2019
PLACED: 17 October 2001

FACES: East by North
356 | Page
1982

COMMENCED: 7 March 1981
REDEDICATED: 14 November 1997
REDEDICATED: 11 May 2011 1997
PLACED: 12 August 1982

FACES: East
REPLACED: 1997
The Atlanta Georgia Temple was originally dedicated

with a replica of the Torlief Knaphus Statue. The
Temple was expanded in 1997, and the new baptistry
was dedicated that November. During the renovation the
Statue was replaced with one more appropriate to the size of
the spire.
Page | 357
Know Your Moroni

DEDICATED: TBA
NONE
358 | Page

GROUNDBREAKING: 11 December 2021
DEDICATED: TBA
NONE
Page | 359
Know Your Moroni

GROUNDBREAKING: TBA
DEDICATED: TBA
PLACED: TBA
FACES: TBA
360 | Page

GROUNDBREAKING: 26 January 2019
DEDICATED: TBA
NONE Render released with, Removed from

plans during construction
Page | 361
Know Your Moroni


362 | Page

DEDICATED: 16 July 2000
RENOVATION ANNOUNCED: 27 June 2017
COMMENCED: 28 January 2018
PLACED: 28 December 1999

FACES: West South West
The Baton Rouge Temple closed in February of 2018 for a remodel and
renovation
Page | 363
Know Your Moroni

GROUNDBREAKING: TBA
DEDICATED: TBA
PLACED: TBA
FACES: TBA
364 | Page

GROUNDBREAKING: TBA
DEDICATED: TBA
PLACED: 25 May 2021

FACES: East South East
Page | 365
Know Your Moroni

GROUNDBREAKING: TBA
DEDICATED: TBA
PLACED: TBA
FACES: TBA
366 | Page

DEDICATED: TBA
NONE
Page | 367
Know Your Moroni

GROUNDBREAKING: TBA
DEDICATED: TBA
PLACED: TBA
FACES: TBA
368 | Page

DEDICATED: TBA
NONE
Page | 369
Know Your Moroni
1955
ANNOUNCED: 1 July 1952
GROUNDBREAKING: 5 August 1953
RENOVATION COMMENCED: 1 April 1990
REDEDICATED: 23 October 1992
2005
PLACED: 7 September 2005

FACES: East
The Bern Switzerland Temple was originally built with a gold

spire, with a thinner gold spire on top. Later, the lower portion of
the gold spire was altered to be white. In 2005 the topmost
portion of the spire was removed and an Angel Moroni was
attached as part of the 50-year celebration of the temple.
370 | Page
ANNOUNCED: 30 August 1996


FACES: East
REMOVED: October 2021
Page | 371
Know Your Moroni

PLACED 30 March 2000

FACES: East
372 | Page

REDEDICATED: 19 September 1999
PLACED 10 June 1999

FACES: East
REPLACED: 29 June 2020
Page | 373
Know Your Moroni

COMMENCED: 26 June 1993
REDEDICATED: 24 April 1999

REPLACED: 3 August 2011
374 | Page

REDEDICATED: 25 May 1984
REMODEL ANNOUNCED: 2 May 2011
COMMENCED: 11 July 2012

FACES: East
Page | 375
Know Your Moroni
2000
ANNOUNCED: 30 September 1995
DEDICATED: 1 October 2000

2001
REPLACED: 16 July 2019
Due to a pending lawsuit, the church was unable to place

the intended spire atop the Boston Temple at the time
of dedication. The lawsuit was finished and allowed the
Church to finish the spire one year after dedication
376 | Page


FACES: East
REPLACED: 24 October 2017
Page | 377
Know Your Moroni

GROUNDBREAKING: 26 September 2020
DEDICATED: TBA
NONE
378 | Page

GROUNDBREAKING: 31 July 2010
PLACED: 12 July 2011

FACES: East
REPLACED: 28 September 2021
Page | 379
Know Your Moroni


FACES: East
380 | Page

GROUNDBREAKING: TBA
DEDICATED: TBA
PLACED: TBA
FACES: TBA
Page | 381
Know Your Moroni

GROUNDBREAKING: TBA
DEDICATED: TBA
PLACED: TBA
FACES: TBA
382 | Page

REMODEL ANNOUNCED: 12 September 2009
COMMENCED: 1 November 2009
PLACED 1985: 23 May 1985

FACES: South East
Temple was gutted and completely rebuilt inside and out in 2010 -
2012. The original spire of the temple remained in place during the
remodel. The Moroni was refurbished and replaced upon it on 1 August
2011
Page | 383
Know Your Moroni

GROUNDBREAKING: TBA
DEDICATED: TBA
PLACED: None
384 | Page

GROUNDBREAKING: TBA
DEDICATED: TBA
PLACED: TBA
FACES: TBA
Page | 385
Know Your Moroni

PLACED: 12 January 2012

FACES: East
386 | Page

GROUNDBREAKING: TBA
DEDICATED: TBA
NONE
Page | 387
Know Your Moroni

GROUNDBREAKING: TBA
DEDICATED: TBA
PLACED: TBA
FACES: TBA
388 | Page


Page | 389
Know Your Moroni

PLACED: 20 March 2000

390 | Page
ANNOUNCED: 27 June 1913

DEDICATED: 26–29 August 1923
COMMENCED: 1955
REDEDICATED: 2 July 1962
COMMENCED: April 1988
REDEDICATED: 22–24 June 1991
NONE
Page | 391
Know Your Moroni

GROUNDBREAKING: TBA
DEDICATED: TBA
NONE
392 | Page

GROUNDBREAKING: TBA
DEDICATED: TBA
PLACED: TBA
FACES: TBA
Page | 393
Know Your Moroni


REPLACED: 2014
394 | Page


FACES: East
Page | 395
Know Your Moroni


FACES: North
396 | Page
ANNOUNCED: 7 May 1998


FACES: East
Page | 397
Know Your Moroni

GROUNDBREAKING: TBA
DEDICATED: TBA
NONE
398 | Page
ANNOUNCED: 13 January 1995

DEDICATED: 30 April 2000

Page | 399
Know Your Moroni


FACES: East
400 | Page

GROUNDBREAKING: TBA
DEDICATED: TBA
PLACED: TBA
FACES: TBA
Page | 401
Know Your Moroni

DEDICATED: 2001

FACES: East
402 | Page


FACES: East
Page | 403
Know Your Moroni

RENOVATION ANNOUNCED: 27 March 2020
COMMENCED: 15 August 2020
1999
PLACED: 5 July 1999
FACES 1999: North East
REMOVED: 3 December 2020
REPLACED: 9 December 2021 2022
FACES 2022: South West
404 | Page


FACES: North East
Page | 405
Know Your Moroni


FACES: East
406 | Page


Page | 407
Know Your Moroni


408 | Page


FACES: South
Page | 409
Know Your Moroni

DEDICATED: TBA
NONE
410 | Page

GROUNDBREAKING: 19 M ay 1984

FACES: East
Page | 411
Know Your Moroni

DEDICATED: TBA
NONE
412 | Page

PLACED: 8 July 1999

FACES: North East by East
Page | 413
Know Your Moroni

PLACED: 8 July 2008

FACES: East
414 | Page


FACES: South West
Page | 415
Know Your Moroni

GROUNDBREAKING: TBA
DEDICATED: TBA
PLACED: TBA
FACES: TBA
416 | Page


FACES: East
Page | 417
Know Your Moroni

GROUNDBREAKING: TBA
DEDICATED: TBA
NONE
418 | Page

GROUNDBREAKING: TBA
DEDICATED: TBA
PLACED: TBA
FACES: TBA
Page | 419
Know Your Moroni

GROUNDBREAKING: TBA
DEDICATED: TBA
NONE
420 | Page

DEDICATED: TBA

FACES: North
Page | 421
Know Your Moroni


FACES: East
422 | Page


FACES: East
Page | 423
Know Your Moroni

GROUNDBREAKING: TBA
DEDICATED: TBA
PLACED: TBA
FACES: TBA
424 | Page


FACES: West North West
Page | 425
Know Your Moroni

REMODEL ANNOUNCED: 20 August 2015
COMMENCED: 7 September 2015

FACES: East
426 | Page

GROUNDBREAKING: TBA
DEDICATED: TBA
PLACED: TBA
FACES: TBA
Page | 427
Know Your Moroni

REMODEL COMMENCED: 2001
1982
REMODEL ANNOUNCED: 16 December 2014
COMMENCED: 9 February 2015
2001
428 | Page


FACES: East
Page | 429
Know Your Moroni


FACES: South East by East
430 | Page


FACES: North east
Page | 431
Know Your Moroni

PLACED: 15 May 2012

FACES: East
432 | Page

GROUNDBREAKING: TBA
DEDICATED: TBA
NONE
Page | 433
Know Your Moroni

GROUNDBREAKING: TBA
DEDICATED: TBA
NONE
434 | Page


Page | 435
Know Your Moroni

PLACED: ~1983
FACES: North West by North
436 | Page


Page | 437
Know Your Moroni


FACES: North North East
438 | Page

RENOVATION ANNOUNCED: 19 January 2018
RENOVATION COMMENCED: 23 July 2018
REDEDICATED: TBA
NONE
Page | 439
Know Your Moroni

GROUNDBREAKING: December 2020
DEDICATED: TBA
NONE
440 | Page


Page | 441
Know Your Moroni

GROUNDBREAKING: TBA
DEDICATED: TBA
PLACED: TBA
FACES: TBA
442 | Page

GROUNDBREAKING: TBA
DEDICATED: TBA
NONE
Page | 443
Know Your Moroni


FACES: East
444 | Page

PLACED: November 1999

FACES: East
Page | 445
Know Your Moroni
1995

RENOVATION ANNOUNCED: 29 January 2019
RENOVATION COMMENCED: 8 July 2019
REDEDICATED: TBA
2020
FACES: East
REMOVED: 1 August 2016
REMOVED: 2019
446 | Page

RENOVATION ANNOUNCED: 25 October 2017 (flood damage)
RENOCATION COMMENCED: 26 August 2017

Page | 447
Know Your Moroni
1945
REMODEL ANNOUNCED: 16 December 2014
COMMENCED: 16 March 2014 1983
REDEDICATED: 4 June 2017

REMOVED: 5 April 2017
RETURNED: 12 April 2017
448 | Page


FACES: East
Page | 449
Know Your Moroni

PLACED: August/September 1984

FACES: South South East
450 | Page

RENOVATION ANNOUNCED: 7 August 2015
COMMENCED: 15 February 2016

FACES: East
Page | 451
Know Your Moroni

GROUNDBREAKING: TBA
DEDICATED: TBA
PLACED: TBA
FACES: TBA
452 | Page


FACES: East
Page | 453
Know Your Moroni

GROUNDBREAKING: TBA
DEDICATED: TBA
PLACED: TBA
FACES: TBA
454 | Page

NONE
Page | 455
Know Your Moroni

PLACED 23 September 1999

FACES: North East by North
456 | Page

GROUNDBREAKING: TBA
DEDICATED: TBA
PLACED: TBA
FACES: TBA
Page | 457
Know Your Moroni


FACES: North East
458 | Page

GROUNDBREAKING: TBA
DEDICATED: TBA
PLACED: TBA
FACES: TBA
Page | 459
Know Your Moroni

REMODEL ANNOUNCED:
COMMENCED: 1 May 1976
REMODEL ANNOUNCED:
COMMENCED: December 2008
REDEDICATED: 29 August 2010
NONE
460 | Page


FACES: East
Page | 461
Know Your Moroni

GROUNDBREAKING: TBA
DEDICATED: TBA
PLACED: TBA
FACES: TBA
462 | Page

DEDICATED: TBA

FACES: West
Page | 463
Know Your Moroni

DEDICATED: TBA
NONE
464 | Page


FACES: North North West
Page | 465
Know Your Moroni


466 | Page

GROUNDBREAKING: TBA
DEDICATED: TBA
NONE
Page | 467
Know Your Moroni

RENOCATION COMMENCED: November 1976
REDEDICATED: 13 March 1979
RENOVATION ANNOUNED: 7 October 2019
NONE
468 | Page

RENOVATION COMMENCED: April 1990

Page | 469
Know Your Moroni


REFURBISHED: 1962
REFURBISHED: 1985
470 | Page


Page | 471
Know Your Moroni


FACES: East
472 | Page

GROUNDBREAKING: TBA
DEDICATED: TBA
PLACED: TBA
FACES: TBA
Page | 473
Know Your Moroni


474 | Page

GROUNDBREAKING: TBA
DEDICATED: TBA
PLACED: TBA
FACES: TBA
Page | 475
Know Your Moroni


FACES: North East
476 | Page


FACES: West by South
Page | 477
Know Your Moroni


FACES: West
478 | Page

RENOVATION COMMENCED: 1981
RENOVATION ANNOUNED: 7 October 2019
NONE
Page | 479
Know Your Moroni

DEDICATED: TBA
NONE
480 | Page


FACES: East
Page | 481
Know Your Moroni


FACES: East
REPLACED: 19 April 2018
482 | Page

RENOVATION ANNOUNCED: 10 April 2017
RENOVATION COMMENCED: 29 September 2017

FACES: East
REMOVED: October 2017
REPLACED: 29 November 2018
Page | 483
Know Your Moroni

GROUNDBREAKING: 2020
DEDICATED: TBA
NONE
484 | Page


FACES: East
Page | 485
Know Your Moroni


FACES: South
486 | Page

RENOVATION ANNOUNCED: January 1974
COMMENCED: February 1974
COMMENCED: 19 May 2018
REDEDICATED: TBA
NONE
Page | 487
Know Your Moroni

RENOVATION COMMENCED: 30 March 2007
RENOVATION COMMENCED: January 2014
PLACED: September 1982

FACES: South by West
488 | Page

GROUNDBREAKING: TBA
DEDICATED: TBA
PLACED: TBA
FACES: TBA
Page | 489
Know Your Moroni
ANNOUNCED: 21 December 1995

PLACED: November 2001

490 | Page
ANNOUNCED: 2 November 1998


Page | 491
Know Your Moroni
1998, White

PLACED: 14 May 1998

FACES: East
REPLACED: 25 May 1999
1999
492 | Page

RENOVATION COMMENCED: 2 June 2014
PLACED: 12 December 1999- 31 January 2000

FACES: East
REMOVED: 2014
REPLACED: April 2015
Page | 493
Know Your Moroni

DEDICATED: TBA
NONE
494 | Page


FACES: East
REPLACED: September 2002
Page | 495
Know Your Moroni

DEDICATED: TBA
NONE
496 | Page


Page | 497
Know Your Moroni
1846
ANNOUNCED: August 1840

BURNED: 8-9 October 1848
DEMOLISHED: February 1865 2001

FACES: Weather Vane
FACES: West
498 | Page

DEDICATED: TBA
NONE
Page | 499
Know Your Moroni


500 | Page

RENOVATION COMMENCED: June 2006

FACES: South South West
Page | 501
Know Your Moroni

RENOVATION COMMENCED: 29 October 1988
TEMPLE REOPENED: 30 October 1990
RENOVATION COMMENCED: 18 February 2018
NONE
502 | Page


FACES: South East by South
Page | 503
Know Your Moroni
1972

REMODEL ANNOUNCED: 17 February 2010 2002
COMMENCED: 2 April 2011

FACES: East
RETURNED: 7 May 2013
504 | Page

GROUNDBREAKING: December 2020
DEDICATED: TBA
NONE
Page | 505
Know Your Moroni

RENOVATION ANNOUNCED: 14 March 1999
COMMENCED: 3 July 1999

REMOVED: 25 October 2017
506 | Page


FACES: East
LIGHTNING DAMAGED: 13 June 2009
Page | 507
Know Your Moroni

DEDICATED: TBA
NONE
508 | Page

PLACED: 1 May 1993

FACES: East
REPLACED: 5 December 2018
Page | 509
Know Your Moroni

GROUNDBREAKING: TBA
DEDICATED: TBA
PLACED: TBA
FACES: TBA
510 | Page

DEDICATED: TBA
NONE
Page | 511
Know Your Moroni


FACES: East
512 | Page

PLACED: 4 May 2007

Page | 513
Know Your Moroni

RENOVATION COMMENCED: August 2005
PLACED: May 1983

FACES: East
514 | Page

COMMENCEMENT: 24 August 2012
NONE
Page | 515
Know Your Moroni


FACES: East
516 | Page


FACES: East
Page | 517
Know Your Moroni


518 | Page

COMMENCEMENT: 18 September 2021
DEDICATED: TBA
NONE
Page | 519
Know Your Moroni

PLACED: 15 May 2013

FACES: East
520 | Page

DEDICATED: TBA
NONE
Page | 521
Know Your Moroni


FACES: West by South
522 | Page

COMMENCEMENT: TBA
DEDICATED: TBA
NONE
Page | 523
Know Your Moroni

GROUNDBREAKING: TBA
DEDICATED: TBA
NONE
524 | Page

COMMENCEMENT: 28 October 2017
NONE
Page | 525
Know Your Moroni

PLACED: 11 May 1988

FACES: East
526 | Page


FACES: East
Page | 527
Know Your Moroni

COMMENCEMENT: 4 May 2019
DEDICATED: TBA
NONE
528 | Page


FACES: East
Page | 529
Know Your Moroni


FACES: East
530 | Page
1972
2003
PLACED: 12 May 2003

REMOVED: TBA
2025
st.
Page | 531
Know Your Moroni

DEDICATED: TBA
PLACED: TBA
FACES:
532 | Page

GROUNDBREAKING: TBA
DEDICATED: TBA
PLACED: TBA
FACES: TBA
Page | 533
Know Your Moroni


FACES: East
534 | Page

DEDICATED: TBA

Page | 535
Know Your Moroni

COMENCED: 7 January 2018

REPLACED: 5 May 2014
536 | Page


Page | 537
Know Your Moroni

DEDICATED: TBA
PLACED: TBA
FACES: TBA
538 | Page


FACES: East
Page | 539
Know Your Moroni


FACES: East
540 | Page


FACES: East
REPLACED: 2014
Page | 541
Know Your Moroni


FACES: East
542 | Page

GROUNDBREAKING: TBA
DEDICATED: TBA
PLACED: TBA
FACES: TBA
Page | 543
Know Your Moroni

DEDICATED: TBA

FACES: West
544 | Page

DEDICATED: TBA

FACES: East
Page | 545
Know Your Moroni

DEDICATED: 10–12 March 2019

FACES: East
546 | Page

GROUNDBREAKING: TBA
DEDICATED: TBA
PLACED: TBA
FACES: TBA
Page | 547
Know Your Moroni


FACES: East
548 | Page

RENOVATION ANNOUNCED: 19 April 2019
COMMENCED: 29 December 2019
DEDICATED: TBA

FACES: East
REGUILT: July 1924
REGUILT: (?) 1946
REGUILT: June 1952
REGUILT: (?) 1962
REGUILT: July 1985
REGUILT: 1992
REMOVED: 18 May 2020
Page | 549
Know Your Moroni

DEDICATED: TBA
PLACED: TBA
FACES: TBA
550 | Page

GROUNDBREAKING: TBA
DEDICATED: TBA
NONE
Page | 551
Know Your Moroni


552 | Page


LIGHTNING: 18 January 1993
REGUILD (IN PLACE): March 1993
REGUILD: 2010
Page | 553
Know Your Moroni


554 | Page

DEDICATED: TBA
NONE
Page | 555
Know Your Moroni

DEDICATED: TBA
NONE
556 | Page


FACES: East
Page | 557
Know Your Moroni

GROUNDBREAKING: TBA
DEDICATED: TBA
PLACED: TBA
FACES: TBA
558 | Page

PLACED: January-March 1983

FACES: South by East
Page | 559
Know Your Moroni

GROUNDBREAKING: TBA
DEDICATED: TBA
PLACED: TBA
FACES: TBA
560 | Page


FACES: East
REFURBISHED: April 2019
Page | 561
Know Your Moroni

GROUNDBREAKING: TBA
DEDICATED: TBA
PLACED: TBA
FACES: TBA
562 | Page
1978

RENOVATION COMMENCED: 1 August 2002 2003

FACES: South East by East
Page | 563
Know Your Moroni

PLACED: 15 May 2015

FACES: East
564 | Page

DEDICATED: TBA

FACES: West
Page | 565
Know Your Moroni


FACES: West
566 | Page

PLACED: August 1985

FACES: South South East
Page | 567
Know Your Moroni

GROUNDBREAKING: TBA
DEDICATED: TBA
PLACED: TBA
FACES: TBA
568 | Page

GROUNDBREAKING: TBA
DEDICATED: TBA
PLACED: TBA
FACES: TBA
Page | 569
Know Your Moroni

GROUNDBREAKING: TBA
DEDICATED: TBA
NONE
570 | Page

2001
FACES 2002: East
REPLACED: March 2017
2017
FACES 2017: West
Page | 571
Know Your Moroni

1998
FACES 2002: East
REPLACED: May 2009
2009
FACES 2017: West
572 | Page
ANNOUNCED: -
RENNOVATION ANNOUNCED: 1974
RENNOVATION ANNOUNCED: April 2019
COMMENCED: 4 November 2019
DEDICATED: TBA
NONE
Page | 573
Know Your Moroni

PLACED: 9 May 1996

FACES 2002: East
574 | Page


FACES 2002: East
Page | 575
Know Your Moroni


FACES: West
576 | Page

PLACED: January 1985

FACES 2002: South
Page | 577
Know Your Moroni


FACES 2002: East
578 | Page


FACES 2002: East
Page | 579
Know Your Moroni

GROUNDBREAKING: June 2021
DEDICATED: TBA
NONE
580 | Page

GROUNDBREAKING: TBA
DEDICATED: TBA
PLACED: TBA
FACES: TBA
Page | 581
Know Your Moroni


FACES 2002: West by North
582 | Page

GROUNDBREAKING: June 2021
DEDICATED: TBA
NONE
Page | 583
Know Your Moroni

PLACED: before March 23 2000

584 | Page

GROUNDBREAKING: TBA
DEDICATED: TBA
NONE
Page | 585
Know Your Moroni

DEDICATED: TBA
NONE
586 | Page


FACES: East
Page | 587
Know Your Moroni


FACES 2002: East
588 | Page


FACES: South East by South
Page | 589
Know Your Moroni


FACES: North East
REPLACED: 17 April 2019
590 | Page

PLACED: 23 June-21 July 1989

FACES: East
Page | 591
Know Your Moroni

GROUNDBREAKING: TBA
DEDICATED: TBA
NONE
592 | Page


FACES 2002: East South East
Page | 593
Know Your Moroni

PLACED: 7 July 2016

FACES 2002: North
594 | Page


FACES 2002: East by South
Page | 595
Know Your Moroni

PLACED: 30 May 2007

FACES: East
596 | Page

DEDICATED: TBA
PLACED: TBA
FACES: TBA
Page | 597
Know Your Moroni


FACES 2002: North East
598 | Page


FACES 2002: East
Page | 599
Know Your Moroni


FACES: East
REMOVED: 5 February 1997 (Painted)
REPLACED: 19 February 1997 (Gilded)
600 | Page

GROUNDBREAKING: TBA
DEDICATED: TBA
PLACED: TBA
FACES: TBA
Page | 601
Know Your Moroni

PLACED: Before 28 December 1999

FACES 2002: East by South
602 | Page

GROUNDBREAKING: TBA
DEDICATED: TBA
PLACED: TBA
FACES: TBA
Page | 603
Know Your Moroni

RENOVATION ANNOUNCED: 23 February 2017
REDEDICATED: TBA
PLACED: 11 May 1973

FACES: East
REGILDED: Summer 1994
REGILDED: Summer 2006
604 | Page

GROUNDBREAKING: TBA
DEDICATED: TBA
NONE
Page | 605
Know Your Moroni


FACES 2002: South West by South
606 | Page


FACES 2002: East by North
Page | 607
Know Your Moroni

DEDICATED: TBA
NONE
608 | Page

GROUNDBREAKING: TBA
DEDICATED: TBA
NONE
Page | 609
Know Your Moroni
610 | Page
Temple Date Source
Aba Nigeria Placement

2005 Placement: “Statue of Angel Moroni Placed on Temple.”
Church News, 5 Feb. 2005.
Replacement
“Original Angel Returns to Temple.” News, 22 Mar. 2018.
Abidjan Côte d'Ivoire Placement
Kondro Yao Theodore, “Installation of the angel Moroni atop the
temple,” [image] ChurchofJesusChristTemple.org, 15 April 2021
Accra Ghana Placement
Thomas, Jenny St. Clair. Received by Marvin Quist, Response to
CH81253 (Church History Library), December. 2017.
Replacement/Failed Attempt
Jethroandmic. “Our Mission to Africa.” July 2011, 1 Jan. 1970.
Replaced
“A New Angel for Ghana.” News, 2 Feb. 2018.
Adelaide Australia Placement
Adelaide Australia Temple. “Adelaide Australia Temple construction
history, 1999 March-2000 June,” Church History Library, CR 833 3;
Adelaide Australia Temple. “Adelaide Australia Temple construction
history, 1999 March-2000 June,” Church History Library, CR 833 2
Albuquerque New Placement
Mexico “Angel Moroni Statues Placed atop 2 Temples.” Church News,
Deseret News, 26 June 1999
Anchorage Alaska Placement
“Crane Helps Angel Soar to Lofty Perch.” Deseret News, 28 Dec.
1998.
Apia Samoa Placement
Harris, R. Carl. Building the Kingdom in Samoa, 1888-2005: History,
Personal Narratives, and Images Portraying Latter-Day Saints'
Experiences in the Samoan Islands, R. Carl Harris, Harris Video
Cases, Inc., Heber City, UT, 2006, p. 288.
Fire/Undamaged
Proctor, Maurine Jensen. “Samoa Temple Destroyed by Fire.”
LDSMag.com, Meridian Magazine, 11 July 2003.
Removed
Weaver, Sarah Jane. “Remains of Temple in Samoa Demolished.”
Church News, 2 Aug. 2003,.
Page | 611
Know Your Moroni
Returned
Carter, Michael, and Karla Carter. “Angel Moroni for Samoa
Temple.” Carters in Samoa, Blogspot, 21 Jan. 2005.
Cowan, Richard O. “A Trial by Fire: Religious Studies Center.” A Trial
by Fire | Religious Studies Center.
“Statue of Angel Moroni Placed on Temple.” Church News, 5 Feb.
2005,.
Earthquake
Matthew. “Adaptation.” Matt's Samoa Blog, 20 Dec. 2009.
Replacement
Observer News, 11 February 2010.
Arequipa Peru Placement
“Colocan Estatua Del Angel Moroni En Templo De Arequipa.”
Noticias.laiglesiadejesucristo.org, 29 Nov. 2018.
Asunción Paraguay Placement
Reynolds, Elise. Received by Marvin Quist. Response to CH83196.
(Church History Library) MS21455
Atlanta Georgia Announced
Speed, Billie Cheney, “Mormon’s Pick Sandy springs for Temple,
Atlant Journal-Constitution, 5 July 1980.
Placement
Speed, Billie Cheney, editor. “Mormons Add Statue to Temple.” The
Atlanta Constitution, 14 Aug. 1982, p. 25.;
“Atlanta Temple almost Finished,” The Daily Spectrum,Saint George
Utah, 20 August 1982, p. 16..;
“The Angel Moroni to Cap Atlanta Temple.” News, The Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Atlanta Georgia Regional Public
Communications Committee, 1982..
Replacement
Enfield, Mike, received by Marvin Quist, 11 March 2017.
Barranquilla Colombia Placement
“Estatua Del Ángel Moroni Finalmente Instalada En Barranquilla.”
Noticias.laiglesiadejesucristo.org, 18 Nov. 2017.;
Photo, ChurchofJesusChristTemples.org, 15 November 2017.
“La Estatua Del Ángel Moroni Es Colocada En El Templo De
Barranquilla.” Noticias.laiglesiadejesucristo.org, 15 Nov. 2017.
Baton Rouge Louisiana Placement
“Latest News and Website Updates.” Baton Rouge Louisiana Temple
Recent News, 28 Dec. 1999.
“Spire with Gold Statue Set on New Temple.” The Daily Advertiser, 1
Jan. 2000, p. 11.
Replacement
612 | Page
Stancliffe, Kathleen, “Angel Moroni installed atop tower,” [image]

ChurchofJesusChristTemples.org, 13 February 2019
Belém Brazil Placement
“Estátua Do Anjo Moroni É Instalada No Templo De Belém.” Noticias,
25 May 2021.
Bern Switzerland Placement
Stahle, Shaun D. “Swiss Temple: Dedication a Bold Act of Faith.”
Church News, 17 Sept. 2005.
Billings Montana Placement
“Statue Placed atop Temple in Billings.” Church News, 21 Nov. 1998.
Removed
Satterfield, Rick, “Minor Renovation Underway at the Billings
Montana Temple,” ChurchofJesusChristTemples.org, 4 November
2021.
Birmingham Alabama Placement
“Angel Moroni Placement,” BhamStake.org, 30 March 2000
Bismarck North Dakota Placement
Kruckenberg, Janet. “Statue Tops Temple in North Dakota.” Church
News, 19 June 199.
Replaced
Miller, Alan. “New Angel atop Bismarck Temple of Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-Day Saints.” KFYR TV, 29 June 2020.
Bogotá Colombia Placement
Carter, Clint. “Clint Carter's Website.” Clint Carters Website.
Replacement
Peterson, Linda, and Mark Peterson. “New Angel Moroni for the
Bogota Temple.” New Angel Moroni for the Bogota Temple, 9 Aug.
2011.
Boise Idaho Placement
Thomas, Jenny St. Clair. Received by Marvin Quist. Response to
CH8516. (Church History Library) 27 October 2016.
Replacement
Thomas, Jenny St. Clair. Received by Marvin Quist. Response to
CH8516. (Church History Library) 27 October 2016.
Boston Massachusetts Placement
“Moroni Statue Placed atop Trio of Temples.” Church News, 29
Sept. 2001.
Replacement
Page | 613
Know Your Moroni
Tucker, Franklin B. “After Two Decades Of Wind and Weather,

Boston Temple Replaces Its Angel.” The Belmontonian, 18 July
2019.
Bountiful Utah Placement
“Gold-Leafed Statue Tops Temple in Bountiful.” Church News, 23
Oct. 1993.
Replacement
“Damaged Angel Moroni on Bountiful Utah Temple Is Replaced.”
Church News and Events. 6 June 2016.
Replacement
Lambert, Katie. “Angel Moroni Statue Returns to Spire of Bountiful
Utah Temple.” LDS Living, LDS Living, 25 Oct. 2017.
Brigham City Utah Placement
Utah State University - " Thousands Gather to Watch Angel Moroni
'Fly' atop New Brigham Temple.” Hard News Cafe RSS.;
“Statue Placed on Temple.” Church News, 16 July 2011.
Replacement
Satterfield, Rick, “Angel Moroni Replaced on the Brigham City Utah
Temple,” ChurchofJesusChristTemples.org, 28 September 2021.
Brisbane Australia “Moroni Statue Graces Brisbane Temple.” Church News, 27 July
2002.
Buenos Aires Argentina Placement
Physical Facilities Department (1972-1998, 2002-2011); Temples
and Special Projects Division. “Temple photographs, circa 1960-
1995,“ Church History Library, PH 7080
Calgary Alberta Placement
Jensen, Emily W. “Today in the Bloggernacle: Videos of Calgary
Temple Angel Moroni Placement and Mobile Book Resources.”
Deseret News, Deseret News, 18 Jan. 2012.
Campinas Brazil Placement
“Angel Moroni Placed atop Campinas.” ALL the News about
Mormons, Mormonism and the LDS Church, Mormons Today, 29
Jan. 2001.
Replaced
Patelli, Márcio Roberto. “Anjo Moroni É Substituído No Templo De
Campinas.” Notícias SUD Brasil, 9 Feb. 2014.
Caracas Venezuela Placement
“Estatua De Moroni:: Temple De Caracas - Venezuala.” Ocumare
Estaca Del Tuy, 20 Mar. 2000,
http://www.ocumare.8m.com/moroni.html. (dead link)
614 | Page
Cebu City Philippines Placement

“Angel Statue Is Placed atop Philippines' Second Temple.” Church
News, 21 Nov. 2009.
Cedar City Utah Placement
Passey, Brian. “Angel Moroni Statue Placed on Cedar City Lds
Temple.” The Spectrum, The Spectrum, 16 Sept. 2016.
Chicago Illinois Placement
CH70204 (Church History Library), Mar. 2017.
Ciudad Juárez México Placement
“The Mormons in El Paso Del Norte: History of the Members of the
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in the Juarez-El Paso
Binational Community (1876-2000)”, Not Identified, Juarez?, 2000,
p. 118.
Cochabamba Bolivia Placement 14 February 2000
Church Educational System (1970- ). “Church Educational System
historia de la Iglesia en Bolivia, 2001 July,” Church History Library,
CR 102 310
“Un Temple En Bolivia.” Bolivia LDS Missions - Cochabamba Temple.
Colonia Juárez México Delivered 3 October 1998
Romney, Virginia Hatch, and Richard O. Cowan. “Construction
Commences.” The Colonia Juárez Temple: A Prophet’s Inspiration ,
2009.
Placement 22 December 1998
Romney, Virginia Hatch, and Richard O. Cowan. “Construction
Commences.” The Colonia Juárez Temple: A Prophet’s Inspiration ,
2009.
Columbia River WA Placement
“Columbia River Washington Temple Progressing.” Mormon News,
27 July 2001.
Replacement
Brawdy, Bob. “Delivering an Angel in Richland.” Tr-City Herald, Tr-
City Herald, 26AD.
Columbia South Placement
Carolina Columbia South Carolina Temple. “Columbia South Carolina Temple
historical committee dedication records, 1999,” Church History
Library, CR 800 1 b2 f6
Columbus Ohio Placement
Hall, Bion W., “July 5, 1999 Construction Pictures of the Columbus
Ohio Temple,” OhioLDS.org, 5 July 1999.
Page | 615
Know Your Moroni
Removed
King, Danae. “Latter-Day Saints Renovating Columbus Temple.” The
Columbus Dispatch, The Columbus Dispatch, 6 Dec. 2020.
Replaced
Knowles, Spencer ”Angel Moroni Installed,” [Image]
ChurchofJesusChristTemples.org, 9 December 2021.
Concepción Chile Placement
“Estatua Del Angel Moroni Se Coloca En Templo.”
Noticias.laiglesiadejesucristo.org, 29 Mar. 2018.
Copenhagen Denmark Placement
Toronto, Judith. “Denmark Temple Crowned WTIH Statue.” Church
News, 23 Aug. 2003.
Cordoba Argentina Placement
Eyring, Emily. “Angel Moroni Statues Placed atop 2 LDS Temples.”
Deseret News, Deseret News, 18 Aug. 2014.
Curitiba Brazil
Dallas Texas Placement
CH76798 (Church History Library), Aug. 2017.
Denver Colorado Placement
Enfield, Mike. Received by Marvin Quist, Feb. 2017.
Remove/Spire Modified
Bird, Twila. “Build unto My Holy Name: The Story of the Denver
Temple. Denver Colorado Area,” Public Communications Council,
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, English, 1987.
Detroit Michigan Placement
Cady, Jeanne. “Angel Moroni Statue Tops Detroit Temple.” Church
News, 17 July 1999.
Draper Utah Placement
“Draper Utah Temple.” Church News, 26 July 2008.
Durban South Africa Placement
Greg Higgs, “Angel Moroni Placed,” [Image]
ChurchofJesusChristTemples.org 25 October 2018;
“The Angel Moroni Statue Is Placed atop the Durban South Africa
Temple.” News, 29 Oct. 2018.
Edmonton Alberta Placement
“Golden Statues of Angel Set atop Temples in Edmonton, Raleigh.”
Church News, 11 Sept. 1999,.
Replacement
616 | Page
RFM, “They Put a New Angel Moroni on Top of Edmonton Temple

this Week,” Exmormon.org, 10, October 2021.
Feather River Placement
California Feather River Temple News & Events, “Angel Moroni is installed
atop the temple,” [Image], ChurchofJesusChristTemples.org, 9
February 2022.
Fort Collins Colorado Placement
Staff. “Angel Moroni Placed on Mormon Temple.” The Coloradoan,
The Coloradoan, 26 Aug. 2015.
Fort Lauderdale Florida Placement
“Fort Lauderdale Florida Temple Facts.” Church News, 8 May 2014.
Fortaleza Brazil Placement
Felipe Barroso, “Angel Moroni Placed Atop Temple,” [Image]
ChurchofJEsusChristTemples.org, 27 June 2018.
Frankfurt Germany Placement
Thomas, Jenny St. Clair. Received by Brian Olson, Response to
Request for Information (Church History Library), Aug. 2017.
Freiberg Germany Placement
Freedman, Eugene, and Claire Freedman. “Angel Statue Added to
Freiberg Temple.” Church News, 10 Jan. 2002.
Fresno California Placement
Berryhill, Anne. Received by Marvin Quist, Response to CH69788
(Church History Library), Mar. 2017.
Fukuoka Japan Placement
Pictures of Fukuoka Japan Temple Site, 11 Apr. 2000,. Photo from 7
November 1999 States it was taken the day before the statue was
placed.
Gila Valley Arizona, Placement
The “Angel Placed atop LDS Temple.” Edited by Jon Johnson, Eastern
Arizona Courier, Eastern Arizona Courier, 27 Sept. 2009.
Gilbert Arizona Placement
Reese, Michelle. “Gilbert LDS Temple Construction Hits Benchmark
with Placement of Moroni Statue.” East Valley Tribune, 18 May
2012.
Guadalajara México Placement
Thorpe, Tyson, Received by Marvin Quist, Response to CH71693
(Church History Library), Mar. 2017.
Guatemala City Guat Placement
Page | 617
Know Your Moroni
Unable to locate any information about the Angel Moroni.

Guayaquil Ecuador Placement
Guayaquil Ecuador Temple. “Guayaquil Ecuador Temple history,”
Church History Library, CR 799 1
Halifax Nova Scotia Placement
Gray, Wally, and Francis Fray. “Sharing Our Links to the Past.”
WallyGray25, GeoCities.
Krochak, Tim. “Angels on High.” The Halifax Herald Limited, 4 Nov.
1999.
Hartford Connecticut Placement
“Angel Moroni Tops the Hartford Connecticut Temple.”
Newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org, 12 Dec. 2015.
Otero, Jordan. “Mormon Temple in Farmington Marks Milestone,
Raises Angel Moroni Statue.” Courant.com, Hartford Courant, 2
Nov. 2019.
Otero, Jordan. “Mormon Temple in Farmington Marks Milestone,
Raises Angel Moroni Statue.” Courant.com, Hartford Courant, 2
Nov. 2019.
Helsinki Finland Placement
“Helsingin Temppeli.” Myöhempien Aikojen Pyhien Jeesuksen
Kristuksen Kirkko - Virallinen Sivusto, 5 Sept. 2006.
Hermosillo Sonora Mx Placement
Hermosillo Sonora Mexico Temple. “Hermosillo Sonora Mexico
Temple history, 1998-2011,” Church History Library, CR 853 3.
Photos dated 5 October 1999 show the temple without the Angel.
Photos with angel on temple, but without the Scaffolding around
the spire are dated 20 Nov 1999.
Hong Kong China Placement
Hart, John L. “Rising Temple Spires Show Progress at Sites.” Church
News, 30 Dec. 1995,.
Replaced
heyjude888. “A New Angel Moroni.” A New Angel Moroni, 1 Jan.
1970.
Removed
Based upon Google Earth historic imagery, the statue was removed
sometime between 1 September and 27 November 2019
Houston Texas Placement
“Angel Moroni Statues Placed atop 2 Temples.” Church News,
Deseret News, 26 June 1999.
Idaho Falls Idaho Placement
618 | Page
“Whirlybird Gives Angel Moroni a lift,” Deseret News, 6 September

1983, p. D-5.
Removed
Eaton, Nate. “Moroni Statue Removed from Idaho Falls LDS
Temple.” East Idaho News, 12 Apr. 2017.
Reinstalled
Farmer, Bailey. “Idaho Falls LDS Temple Reinstalls Angel Moroni
Statue.” KID Newsradio, 12 Apr. 2017. [Gallery]
Indianapolis Indiana Placement
“Indianapolis Indiana Temple Topped with Angel Moroni Statue.”
Church Newsroom - Official Newsroom of the Church of Jesus Christ
of Latter-Day Saints, 17 Oct. 2014.
Johannesburg S Africa Placement
Reguild
“Moroni Receives New Plating atop the Johannesburg Temple.”
News, 23 Aug. 2017.
Jordan River Utah Placement
“Sneak Preview of the Statue.” Deseret News, 15 Aug. 1981, p. 9.
Kansas City Missouri Placement
Borgedalen, Angie Anaya. “Angel Moroni Takes Post atop Temple .”
Liberty Tribune, 30 Mar. 2011,
http://www.libertytribune.com/community_living/article_51ccc4bf-
4396-5736-bb3b-0bd06e5b2334.html. Accessed 28 Jan. 2022 (dead
link).
Kona Hawaii Placement
“Angel Moroni atop New Temple.” Hawaii Tribune-Herald, 8 Oct.
1999, p. 6.
Kyiv Ukraine Placement
Van Dyke, Sandra. “Angel Moroni Statue Placed atop the Kyiv
Ukraine Temple in Eastern Europe.” Church News, 21 Sept. 2009.
Las Vegas Nevada Placement
Las Vegas Nevada Temple. “Las Vegas Nevada Temple history, 1984-
2012,” Church History Library CR 634 5
Seastrand, Rosel, “Outpourings of the Spirit,” Church History Library
CR 634 1
Layton Utah Placement
Lima Peru Placement
Page | 619
Know Your Moroni

1995,“ Church History Library, PH 7080. There are 4 photos. One is
dated 10 Dec, but is prior to the statue being placed, with the
statue still at ground level. The other photos, dated 11 Dec, show
the statue being placed.
Lisbon Portugal “Placement
Estátua Do Anjo Moróni Colocada No Topo Do Templo De Lisboa.”
Noticias, 19 Nov. 2018.;
“Angel Moroni Placed on Top of the Lisbon Portugal Temple.” News,
22 Nov. 2018.
London England Placement
Prescott, Marianne Holman. “Why the Angel Moroni Statue
Stopped Traffic and Other Interesting Facts about the London
Temple on Its 60th Anniversary.” Church News, 7 Sept. 2018.
Los Angeles California Arrival
“Statue of Angel Hoisted Atop Los Angeles Temple,” Church News,
15 March 1958
Gilding
Church News, October 16, 1954, p. Cover
Lundstrom, Joseph, “Angel Moroni Statue Lifted To Top of L.A.
Temple Steeple,” Church News, October 23, 1954. P. 4
Placement
“Angel Moroni Statue Lifted To Top of L. A. Temple steeple,” Church
News, 23 October 1954, p. 4.
“Statue Hoisted Atop New Temple,” The Los Angeles Times, 20
October 1954, p.37.
“Lift Angel Moroni Statue Atop New Mormon Temple,” The Valley
Times (North Hollywood California,) 20 October 1954, p. 2
Regilding
Jennings, Bruce, “Maple Leaf Industries completes gold-leafing Los
Angeles Temple,” The Manti Messenger, 4 March 1982, p. 3.
Louisville Kentucky Placement
Lubbock Texas Placement
Pearce, Kent, “Lubbock Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-Day Saints.” CauchyMath.ttu.edu.
Madrid Spain Placement
Shallenberger, Steven. “Mardid Temple Update [sic].” The Spain
Madrid Mission , 14 Sept. 1998.
620 | Page
Manaus Brazil Placement

“Templo De Manaus - Fotos Da Estátua Do Anjo Moroni: Murilovisck
- Notícias Sud/Mormons.” MURILOVISCK.
Manhattan New York Placement
Dockstader, Julie. “Angel Moroni Statue atop Temple.” Church
News, 16 Oct. 2004.
“Angel Moroni Statue Placed on Manhattan Temple.”
Newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org, 12 Oct. 2004.
Manila Philippines Placement
Reynolds, Elise. Received by Brian Olson, Response to CH77563
(Church History Library), Aug. 2017.
Medford Oregon Placement
“User Contributions.” MedfordTemple.com, 29 Nov. 1999.
Replacement
Hope in Him Grants Pass Facebook Page, “Angel Moroni Replaced,”
[Image], ChurchofJesusChristTemples.org 18 October 2021.
Melbourne Australia Placement
Melbourne Australia Temple. “Melbourne Australia Temple
construction history, 1999 May-2000 June,” Church History Library,
CR 839 3.
Replacement
“LDS Melbourne Temple Receives New Statue.” News, 3 May 2018.
Memphis Tennessee Placement
Mérida México Placement
Chile Missionary Training Center. “Registro Historico Centro de
Capacitacion Misional De Chile, 2011; 2014-2015,” Church History
Library, CR 683 2 f.3.
Meridian Idaho Placement
Green, Kyle. “Angel Moroni Placed atop New Meridian Lds Temple |
Idaho ...” Idaho Statesman.
“Angel Moroni Statue Tops Mormon Meridian Idaho Temple.”
Newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org, 20 July 2016,.
México City México Placement
Burrup, Jay G., Received by Marvin Quist, Response to CH74154
(Church History Library), Mar. 2017. MX-01-00173
Monterrey México Placement
Page | 621
Know Your Moroni
Thorpe, Tyson, Received by Marvin Quist, Response to CH71693

(Church History Library), Julyr. 2017.
Montevideo Uruguay Placement
“El Templo De Montevideo - Uruguay .” Noticias Locales De
Sudamerica Sur Noviembre 2000,.
Monticello Utah Placement
Boyle, Bill. “Statue of Angel Moroni Placed on Top of Temple.”
Church News, 23 May 1998.
Replacement
“Angel Moroni Statue Replaced on LDS Temple.” San Juan Record,
28 Mar. 2020.
Montréal Québec Placement
Montreal Quebec Temple. “Temple de Montréal, Québec
historique, circa 2015,” Church History Library, CR 839 3.;
Physical Facilities Department (1972-1998, 2002-2011); Project
Construction Division (2005-2011). “Temple construction
photographs, 1980-2003,” Church History Library, PH 7917
Mount Timpanogos Placement
Utah “20,000 See Statue Lifted atop Mount Timpanogos Temple.” Church
News, 22 July 1995.
Replacement
“Personal Account,” Brian Olson, September 2002.
Allred, Cathy, “Mt. Timpanogos Temple undergoes warranty
repairs,” American Fork Citizen, 25 July 2002.
Nashville Tennessee Placement
Chavez, Kathrin. “Temple's Journey Almost Complete.” The
Tennessean, 8 Feb. 2000, p. 9.
Nauvoo Illinois Placement
“Moroni Statue Placed atop Trio of Temples.” Church News, 29
Sept. 2001.
Replacement
“New Moroni Nauvoo Temple.” The Daily Universe, 20 Sept. 2021,
Newport Beach Placement
California “Statue Placed atop Newport Beach Temple.” Church News, 29 Jan.
2005.
Nuku’alofa Tonga Placement
Thomas, Jenny St. Clair. Received by Brian Olson,, Response to
Replacement
622 | Page
“Church Replaces Angel Moroni Statue on Tonga Temple.” News, 25

Sept. 2014.
Oaxaca México Placement
Oaxaca Mexico Temple. “Oaxaca Mexico Temple history, 2000,”
Church History Library, CR 790 3.
Ogden Utah Announcement
“Ogden Utah Temple to Receive Improvements, Moroni Statue.”
Placement
Barry, Tanna and Francis, JaNae. "Angel added to Ogden temple."
Standard Examiner 20 November 2002.
Removed
Francis, JaNae. “Angel Moroni on Vacation from Ogden Temple?”
Angel Moroni on Vacation from Ogden Temple? - Standard-
Examiner, 8 Aug. 2011.
Replacement
“Angel Moroni Statue Placed on Ogden Temple.”
Newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org, 7 May 2013.
Oklahoma City OK Placement
Reports, Staff. “Angel Heralds Landmark.” Oklahoman.com,
Oklahoman, 11 Mar. 2000.
Replacement 10 September 2018
Ingram, Steve “Angel Moroni Placed Atop Temple.”[image]
ChurchofJesusChristTemples.org, 10 September 2018.
Oquirrh Mountain Placement
Utah “Angel Moroni Placed on Oquirrh Mountain Temple.” KSL.com,
Ksl.com, 11 July 2008.
Replacement
Prescott, Marianne Holman. “Statue Replaced on Oquirrh Mountain
Utah Temple.” Church News, 15 Aug. 2009.
Orlando Florida Placement
“About the Cover.” Church News, 12 June 1993.
“Excitement Grows as Temples Rise.” Church News, 12 June 1993.
Palmyra New York Placement
“An Exciting Milestone.” Church News, 20 Feb. 1999.
Panamá City Panamá Placement
Papeete Tahiti Placement

Thomas, Jenny St. Clair. Received by Brian Olson, Response to
Page | 623
Know Your Moroni
Payson Utah Placement

Pugmire, Genelle, and James Roh. “Angel Moroni Tops Spire at
Payson Temple.” Daily Herald, 11 Oct. 2013.
Perth Australia Placement
Mattys, Mike. “Perth Australia Temple Moroni Statue Placed.”
Mormon News for We 24sep00, MormonsToday.com 21 Sept. 2000.
Philadelphia Placement
Pennsylvania McCrone, Brian X. “Golden Statue of Angel Moroni Placed atop
Philly Mormon Temple, Marking 'Significant Milestone'.” The
Philadelphia Inquirer, 16 Jan. 2016.
Phoenix Arizona Placement
Markland, Cecily, “Phoenix Temple Construction Reaches Milestone
with Placement of Angel Moroni Statue,” The Arizona Beehive, 1
July 2013,
Pocatello Idaho Placement
Satterfield, Rick, “Crew Makes Final Adjustments to Moroni,”
[Image] ChurchofJesusChristTemples.org, 10 March 2021.;
Sams, Cole, and J Weld says: “Angel Moroni Placed on Pocatello
Temple.” Local News 8, 30 Nov. -1.
Rappleye, Christine. “Angel Moroni Now atop Pocatello Idaho
Temple.” Church News, 12 Mar. 2021.
Portland Oregon Placement
“‘Now It Looks like a Temple.’” Church News, 21 May 1988.
Porto Alegre Brazil Placement
Porto Alegre Brazil Temple. “Porto Alegre Brazil Temple history,
2001,” Church History Library, CR 862 2.
Preston England Placement
Reynolds, Elise. Recived by Brian Olson. Response to CH83637,
Richards, H. Bryan, “Mission Papers,” Church History Library,
MS20156, 10 June 1997
Replacement
Calderbank, Matthew. “Giant Cherry Picker Replaces Chorley
Mormon Temple Statue Damaged in Lightning Strike.” Lancashire
Evening Post, Lancashire Evening Post, 11 Oct. 2021.
Teal, John. “Moroni.” Hastening the Work, 9 Oct. 2021.
Provo City Center Utah Placement
Prescott, Marianne Holman. “Angel Moroni Statue Placed atop the
Provo City Center Temple.” Church News, 3 Apr. 2014.
Provo Utah Placement
624 | Page
“Statue Finds Home atop Provo Utah Temple.” Church News, 17

May 2003.
Puebla Mexico Placement
Quetzaltenango Guat Placement

Satterfield, Rick. “Quetzaltenango Guatemala Temple.”
Quetzaltenango Guatemala LDS (Mormon) Temple.
Quito Ecuador Placement
“Se Coloca La Estatua Del Ángel Moroni En El Templo De Quito,
Ecuador.” Noticias.laiglesiadejesucristo.org, 9 Dec. 2020.
Raleigh North Carolina Placement
“Golden Statues of Angel Set atop Temples in Edmonton, Raleigh.”
Replacement
“Angel Moroni Statue Replaced on Raleigh Temple.” LDS Goldsboro
Stake News, 22 May 2014.
Recife Brazil Placement
Recife Brazil Temple. “Recife Brazil Temple history, 2000,” Church
History Library, CR 847 1.
Red Cliffs Utah Placement
Redlands California Placement

Carlson, Cray. “Redlands Temple Receives Statue of Angel Moroni.”
Church News, 22 Mar. 2003.
Regina Saskatchewan Placement
Wenson, Kenneth and Harker, Brook “The Hand of the Lord: A
History of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in
Saskatchewan,” Church History Library, CR 838 2. The angel was
placed at 5:00. The first viewing of the open house video (for pre-
public tour) was at 3:30 that same day.
Thomas, G. “Placement of Angel Moroni,”, 3 Nov. 1999.
Reno Nevada Placement
Reno Nevada Temple. “Reno Nevada Temple construction history,
1999 July-2000 April,” Church History Library, CR 817 2. The angel
arrived on site on 28 Dec 1999
Rexburg Idaho Placement
“Moroni Statue on Temple.” Church News, 30 Sept. 2006.
Richmond Virginia Placement
Page | 625
Know Your Moroni
Wayne Leake, “Installation of the Angel Moroni,” [Image]

ChurchofJesusChristTemples.org, 13 April 2021
Rio de Janeiro Brazil Placement
Templo do Rio de Janeiro Facebook Page, “Angel Moroni Installed
Atop Spire,” [Image] ChurchofJesusChristTemples.com, 22 February
2019; Redação. “Novas Fotos Da Construção Do Templo Do Rio De
Janeiro.” Portal Exaltação, 1 July 2019.
Rome Italy Placement
“Angel Moroni Statue Tops Rome Temple.”
Newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org, 25 Mar. 2017.
Sacramento California Placement
West, Lisa. “Angel Statue Tops Temple.” Church News, 25 Mar.
2006.
Salt Lake Placement
“Temple Capstone Laid 100 Years Ago.” Church News, 4 Apr. 1992.
Damaged
Parshall, Ardis E. “The Day the Angel Moroni Almost Lost His Horn,”
Www.keepapitchinin.org. 23 Aug. 2009.
Repaired
“Gentiles in Mormon Shrine,” The Rock Island Argus, 9 September
1910, p.33
Regilded
“Golden Facelift,” The Times-News, Twin Falls, Idaho, 20 July 1985,
p 7.
“Salt Lake’s Angel to Get New Coat,” The Los Angeles Times, 20 July
1985, p. 59.
Regilded
“Angel Moroni,” The Billings Gazette, 20 June 1992, p. 4.
Damaged
Toone, Trent. “Utah Earthquake Causes Angel Moroni on Salt Lake
Temple to Lose His Trumpet.” Deseret News, Deseret News, 18 Mar.
2020.
Removal
Gardiner, Jennifer. “Angel Moroni Statue Removed from Salt Lake
Temple.” ABC4 Utah, ABC4 Utah, 19 May 2020,
Salta Argentina Placement
San Antonio Texas Placement

“San Antonio Texas.” Mormon Temples, 2008.
San Diego California Placement
626 | Page
“Angel Placed Atop new Mormon Temple.” North County Times, 28

Dec. 1991, p. 18.
Lightning/Regild
"Angel Moroni Gets Some New Gold." San Diego Seagull, March
1993, p 6.
Regild
Frazier, Jenna “Mormon Temple to shine like new,” SDNews.com, 7
July 2010.
San José Costa Rica Placement
San José Costa Rica Temple. “San José Costa Rica Temple. history,
2000,” Church History Library, CR 830 1.
San Salvador El Sal Placement
DarkSesquiterpen, director. Templo Mormón-SUD-LDS, San
Salvador, El Salvador--Colocación Estatua De Moroni--. YouTube,
YouTube, 27 Dec. 2010. Accessed 1 Feb. 2022.
Santiago Chile Placement
A., Rodolfo Acevedo. Alturas Sagradas: Templo De Santiago De
Chile. Impresso En Los Talleres De Graphica Sur, 2006, p 63.
Earthquake (1980s)
Davy Crockett Running, crockettclan.org.
Earthquake (2010s)
B., Geoff. “Letter from Santiago, Chile Temple President.” The
Millennial Star, 1 Mar. 2010.
Santo Domingo D.R. Placement
“Statue Placed atop Caribbean Temple.” Church News, 18 Sept.
1999.
São Paulo Brazil Placement
Fernando Assis, "Sao Paulo temple ready for re-dedication," Church
News 31 Jan. 2004: 3.
Satterfield, Rick. “São Paulo Brazil Temple.” LDS Temples - Mormon
Temples.
Sapporo Japan Placement
“Angel Moroni Placed on Sapporo Japan Temple (Photos + Video).”
LDS Living, LDS Living, 29 May 2015.
Saratoga Springs Utah Placement
Tate, Aaron, “Installation of Angel Moroni,”[Image]
ChurchofJesusChristTemples.org, 20 August 2021
Seattle Washington Placement
Hansen, Lynne Hollestien. “Much Publicity given Seattle Temple
Events.” The Church News, 3 Nov. 1979, p. 12.
Page | 627
Know Your Moroni
Seoul Korea Placement

1995,“ Church History Library, PH 7080. Photos of statue are
undated, but most of the photographs in set are dated August 1985,
and these come right after
Snowflake Arizona Placement
Replaced/Rotated
Quist, Marvin, and Temple Recorder. 9 November 2017.
Spokane Washington Delivered April 1999
Dockstader, Julie. “Amid Rays of Sunshine, 59th Temple Dedicated.”
Church News, 28 Aug. 1999.
Placement
“Construction Site.” SpokaneTemple.com, 21 Apr. 1999.
St. Louis Missouri Placement
photographs, 1980-2003,” Church History Library, PH 7917. There
are photographs where it looks like they are getting ready to place
the angel dated 18 Mar 1996. However, there are only 1 or two
with the angel actually in position to raise, and one of these images
is labeled "Repair tent". While no further documentation is
available, possible that there was an attempt to raise it in March
but issues were found that needed to be fixed before placing
causing it to be postponed. Photos dated 9 May 1996 clearly
document the placement of the statue.
St. Paul Minnesota Placement
Mathias, Tom. “Moroni!” Construction as of September 21, 1999.
Star Valley Wyoming Placement
“Construction Milestone Reached for Star Valley Wyoming Temple.”
Newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org, 25 Apr. 2016.
Stockholm Sweden Placement
Perry, Brett. “Placing the Spire on the Temple.” Swedish Mission.
Suva Fiji Placement
Berrryhill, Anne. Received by Brian Olson, Response to CH82686
(Church History Library), Jan. 2019. M282.1 S967g 2000
Sydney Australia Placement
“Sydney Australia Mormon Temple.” Mormon Temples.
628 | Page
Taipei Taiwan Placement

Powell, Don Gayle, “Northern Far East Mission photographs, 1954-
1956” Church History Library, PH7917. Angel arrived 3 April, not
placed until 21 April
Replacement
“台北聖殿摩羅乃雕像更換工程.” News, 4 Nov. 2017.
Tampico México Placement
photographs, 1980-2003,” Church History Library, PH 7917
Tegucigalpa Honduras Placement
Vicky. Colocacion Estatua De Moroni En Templo Honduras,
SUDLACeiba.Blogspot.com, 9 Nov. 2011.
Gardner, Danette. “Putting Angel Moroni on the Temple.” Honduran
Adventure!, 10 Nov. 2011.
The Hague Placement
Netherlands “Moroni Statue Placed atop Trio of Temples.” Church News, 29
Sept. 2001.
Tijuana México Placement
“Tijuana Mexico Temple.” Mormon Temples.
Tokyo Japan Placement
van der Leek, David. “Angel Moroni Statue atop Tokyo Temple.” The
Church News, 7 January 2005.
Earthquake
“Mormon Church Updates Status of LDS Missionaries.”
Www.good4utah.Com, ABC 4 News, 2011.
Toronto Ontario Placement
1995,“ Church History Library, PH 7080
Trujillo Peru Placement
Eyring, Emily. “Angel Moroni Statues Placed atop 2 LDS Temples.”
Deseret News, Deseret News, 18 Aug. 2014.
Tucson Arizona Placement
Willett, Johanna. “Golden Statue Placed atop Mormon Temple in
Tucson.” Arizona Daily Star, 4 Aug. 2017.
Tuxtla Gutiérrez Placement
México
Page | 629
Know Your Moroni
Tuxtla Gutierrez Mexico Temple. “Tuxtla Gutierrez Mexico Temple

history, 2000,” Church History Library, CR 832 2. The trumpet was
placed after the Angel was in place.
Twin Falls Idaho Placement
Coltrain, Nick. “Moving Moroni.” Twin Falls Times-News, 31 May
2007.
Urdaneta Philippines Placement
Vancouver B.C. Placement

Satterfield, Rick. “Vancouver British Columbia Temple.” Vancouver
British Columbia LDS (Mormon) Temple.
Veracruz México Placement
Chile Missionary Training Center. “Registro Historico Centro de
Capacitacion Misional De Chile, 2011; 2014-2015,” Church History
Library, CR 683 2 f.4.
Vernal Utah Placement
Avant, Gerry. “Angel Moroni Statue Tops Vernal Utah Temple
Tower.” Church News, 5 Oct. 1996.
Removed/Replaced
“Statue returns with brilliant new coat,” Vernal Express, 26 February
1997, p 1.
Villahermosa México Placement
Washington DC Placed
Lammi, Elmer W. “Moroni Statue Tops D.C. Spire.” Deseret NEws,
19 May 1973, p. 3.
Regilded
Washington Post, 27 August 1994
Regilded
Kelly, John. “A Golden Opportunity to See Old-World Artisans.” The
Washington Post, WP Company, 24 May 2006,.
Removed
Kelly, John. “At the Mormon Temple, a Golden Angel Comes down
to Earth.” Washingtonpost.com, The Washington Post, 1 Sept. 2016.
Replaced
Winnipeg Manitoba Delivered

“Angel Moroni Statue Delivered to Temple Site,” [Image]
ChurchofJesusChristTemples.org 2 June 2020.
Placement
630 | Page
Fabiola Juarez. “Angel Moroni Statue,” [Image]

ChurchofJesusChristTemples.org, 28 July 2020.;
“Winnipeg Temple Marks Construction Milestone.” News, 31 July
2020,.; The Statue arrived around 2 June of 2020: Gilson, Neil,
Winter Quarters NB Placement
Winter Quarters Nebraska Temple. Winter Quarters Nebraska
Temple video, 2000 November 7 , (accessed: February 1, 2022)
Brilliant as the Sculptors are, most of them did not do it alone. These
equally brilliant artists helped with their talents as well.
BORN 1 November 1913 DIED 20 December 2000

Ernest Demke was born in Salt Lake City. He was a painting contractor
who specialized in Gold Leafing. He was contracted to leaf and releaf
many of the Angel Moroni statues worldwide.1
When the Seattle Washington Angel Moroni statue was damaged

during shipment, brother Demke flew out to Seattle the same day the
statue arrived. He stayed up all night October 24 through the morning
of October 25 releafing the statue with just plastic wrapped
scaffolding to protect hem for the cold night air.2
1
Deseret News. “Obituary: Ernest F. Demke.” Deseret News, Deseret News, 22 Dec.
2000.
2
Young, Richard, Personal Interview with Brian Olson and Marvin Quist, 10 July 2018
Page | 631
Know Your Moroni
BORN - DIED -
Richard Young, Owner and operator of Young Fine Art Studio in Salt
Lake City, apprenticed to Avard Fairbanks for 18 years. During that
time, Richard Young assisted Dr. Fairbanks in the creation of the 15-
foot-tall replica of his Washington D.C. Temple statue. Richard’s studio
was also the studio that cast the statue.
Richard is a talented and accomplished sculptor in his own right.
When the Seattle Washington Temple statue broke during shipping,

Richard Young flew out with gilder Ernest Demke. Richard and an
onsite contractor welded the horn back into place on the statue. 1
1
Young, Richard, Personal Interview with Brian Olson and Marvin Quist, 10 July 2018
BORN 12 January 1934 DIED 6 August 2019

J. Dell Morris was an accomplished artist, sculptor and teacher. He
graduated from BYU with a Bachelors of Arts in 1961, and a Masters in
art from BYU in 1971.
Dell was an accomplished artist, sculptor and teacher.
He studied with Millard Malin, with whom he helped sculpt the life
size dinosaurs for the museum of Natural History in Vernal.
He studied with Avard Fairbanks, and assisted him with the priesthood
restoration monument on Temple Square.
Morris was invited with 7 other artists to submit designs for the
Washington D.C. Temple. His design lost out to Avard Fairbanks, and
sadly was never used.1
632 | Page
Brother Morris assisted Karl Quilter with the creation of his 1985
statue, and his signature joins Karl’s on the bottom of the statue.
Brother Morris also assisted LaVar Wallgren with the creation of the
font and Oxen for the Nauvoo Illinois Temple. The pair also created
the Sunstone, Moonstone, and starstones for the Temple exterior.2
1
Mortuary, Holbrook. “Obituary for J. Dell Morris: Holbrook Mortuary.” Obituary for J.
Dell Morris | Holbrook Mortuary, CFS, 12 Aug. 2019.
2 Moore, Carrie A. “Resurrecting a Temple.” Deseret News, Deseret News, 2 July 2000,
BORN 1 June 1917 DIED 8 June 1999

Elbert Porter was born in Orderville, Utah. In his twenties he received
art training from Maynard Dixon. During World War II, he was a
patternmaker for Solar Aircraft Co. in California.
Elbert studied at Brigham Young University. He received his master's

degree in Fine Arts from the University of Utah and taught sculpture
classes there for 12 years.
Elbert Porter sculpted the dinosaurs for Vernal's dinosaur gardens.1
He is famous for having created the 8-foot-tall gold-leafed Angel

Moroni that was used in five World's Fairs. This statue has the
distinction of being the first fiberglass Angel Moroni.
Elbert Porter assisted Millard Malin with the creation of the Oxen,
Font, and Angel Moroni statue for the Los Angeles Temple, and further
assisted with the creation of the Oxen and Font for the Bern, London,
and Hamilton Temples. 2
Page | 633
Know Your Moroni
1
Porter, Elbert H. (Elbert Heaton). “BYU Library - Special Collections.” Collection: Elbert
H. Porter Papers | BYU Library - Special Collections,
2
BORN 1908 DIED 1 December 1970

Brooks was born in Edgewood, Nevada. He graduated from the
University of Utah.
Brooks was an apprentice to sculptor Millard F. Malin. He helped

Malin he assisted in designing the Mormon Battalion on the Utah
State Capitol and the Sugar House Monument in Salt Lake City. 1
Brooks also assisted Millard Malin with the design of the Angel Moroni
Statue, the Fonts, and the Oxen at the Los Angeles Temple. He further
assisted Malin with the creation of the Font and Oxen at Bern, London,
and New Zealand. 2
He was also a painter, and like many artists he painted scenes in Dixie,
southwestern Utah. One of his paintings depicting Native Americans
dancing was acquired by the Springville Museum of Art.
Brooks died in Salt Lake City, and his funeral was held at the Cathedral
of the Madeleine.
1
“Maurice E. Brooks.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 1 Nov. 2020.
2
634 | Page
Chapter9| Appendices
Not all statues of the Angel Moroni make it onto temples, or are even
sculpted for that purpose. In the stories section of this book, we
covered stories of proposed statues that never made it onto any
temple. Here we will cover some of the most notable statues of
Moroni that were never actually intended for use on a temple.
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Know Your Moroni
SCULPTOR Torleif Knaphus

MATERIAL Hammered Copper covered in 22-karat gold leaf
CURRENTLY ON Hill Cumorah Monument
This statue of Moroni features a set of gold plates held to

the chest with the left hand, the right hand being raised in
a sign of priesthood authority. More on this monument
can be found on Torleif Knaphus’s page earlier in this book.
Knaphus is famous for having sculpted the 10’ Moroni

statue on the Cumorah Monument. The whole monument
was, in truth, Brother Knaphus’s idea once he heard the
church had acquired the Cumorah property. The drive
behind the statue was Torlief’s own firm testimony of the
restoration of the gospel and the visitation of the Angel
Moroni to Joseph Smith Jr. Torlief felt the design of the
monument was guided from on high. He once described
to a friend a moment of prayer, where he was shown which
of his seven created designs was to be used for the
monument. Additionally, he was told during that prayer
that he should go to the Brethren at the administration
building to propose the monument on the following day
and that the Brethren would be waiting for him. He found
that not only were the Brethren expecting his visit, but
they unanimously selected the same design he had been
shown.
636 | Page
SCULPTOR Torleif Knaphus

MATERIAL Bronze?
CURRENTLY AT Wilford C. Wood museum in Bountiful, Utah
This statue was originally sculpted for use on Temple Square. It is not
known at this time if this statue ever made it onto the grounds there.
Currently it is at the Wilford C. Wood Museum in Bountiful Utah.
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Know Your Moroni
SCULPTOR Avard Fairbanks

MATERIAL Bronze
HEIGHT 8’ (2.43 Meters)
This statue was created to be exhibited at a park near the Manti

Temple. The statue was made using funds donated to the pageant
upon the death of R. Clair Anderson. Family members along with
Avard T. Fairbanks approached stake and pageant leaders and
proposed the statue as an appropriate monument to compliment both
the temple and the pageant.
In 2012, the owners of the statue made the unpopular

decision to not place the statue in the appointed
place. They had concerns over the authenticity of
the story that Moroni had dedicated the hill in
ancient times for a modern-day temple. As
the statue commemorates Moroni,
they feared that placing the statue
would help perpetuate what
they concluded was an
unfounded story. In 2014 the
statue was put into storage,
though there has been and
continues to be pressure
for them to place the
statue where it was
originally intended.
638 | Page
SCULPTOR Elbert Porter

MATERIAL Fiberglass and gold leaf
WEIGHT 200 lbs. (680.4 kilograms)
The Mormon Pavilion at the 1964 World’s Fair shaped programs for
visitors Centers at historical sites and temples around the world. The
pavilion’s central point was a replica of the east spires of the Salt Lake
Temple complete with an 8’ 3”, 200-pound Angel Moroni Statue
sculpted by Elbert Porter.
Elbert Porter studied art at BYU and the University of Michigan. He

was a faculty member at the University of Utah as well. He had had
experience making fiberglass replicas of prehistoric animals for
museums prior to sculpting the World’s Fair statue.
Elbert’s statue was a replica of the 12’ 5” Cyrus Dallin Statue. His guide
in the project was Dallin’s original model he sculpted for the Salt Lake
Statue, and which had been stored in the Salt Lake Temple up to that
point. Elbert’s statue stood on a sphere, which in turn stood on a
pinnacle and small square base. The entire assembly was cast in
fiberglass, with the statue itself being gilded. After the 1964 world’s
fair, it was shipped around the world and used in front of the Mormon
Pavilion at other World’s Fairs, including; San Antonio, 1968;
Montreal, 1969; Osaka, 1970; and Spokane, 1974 after which it was
put in storage until it would be needed again.
An inquiry to the Church History Library returned the answer that this
statue was not ever used on a temple. Its current whereabouts are not
known, but staff at the Library believe that the statue was fragile and
likely destroyed after it was removed from the Spokane World’s Fair.
This would explain why it was not seen at any further fairs or
expositions.1
Recently however, in 2019, I received information that descendants of

Elbert Porter had held a tradition that the statue had been given to
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Know Your Moroni
the LDS motion picture studio after it was no longer needed for the
World’s Fairs and Expos.2
Contacting the Motion Picture studio returned the result that at one
time they had 2 Salt Lake style Angel Moroni Statues, one shorter,
matching the height of the Porter statue, and a taller one, matching
the height of the Knaphus Statue. Both statues have apparently been
used on productions featuring the placement of the statue on the Salt
Lake Temple, but the taller statue has been lost after having been
loaned out.3
1
Email from CHL to Brian Olson, 2015
2
Porter Descendants via Marvin Quist, email, 23 September 2019
3
Dave Neyman via Quinn Or, email to Brian Olson, 27 August 2019
640 | Page
SCULPTOR John Ekow Amonoo

MATERIAL Painted Cement
Long before missionaries were first sent to Africa, one man, Joseph
William Billy Johnson, discovered the Book of Mormon and shared it
with everyone he met. One copy of the book of Mormon was shared
among hundreds as those converted through Brother Johnson’s
efforts prayed for missionaries to come.
After the 1978 announcement extended the Priesthood to everyone,

Missionaries were sent to Accra Ghana to Baptize Brother Johnson and
those converted through his efforts.
When missionaries finally arrived a few months later, they were

directed to Johnson’s chapel in Cape Coast, Ghana, where they found
“a large statue of the Angel Moroni standing on a ball and blowing a
trumpet. There were also pictures of the Bible and the Book of
Mormon, Joseph Smith, the Tabernacle Choir, and other Latter-day
Saint scenes.” 1
The cement Angel Moroni statue was patterned after the cover photo
on older editions of the Book of Mormon. It is currently in the
possession of the Church History Museum.
The Statue was begun at the urging of Johnson in 1969, and was
finished around a year later. The Statue was moved to Brother
Johnsons home in 1978 after the Church was officially established in
Ghana. It was then donated by Johnson to Church in early April of
1993.2
The statue is made out of cement, rather than Concrete, meaning

there is no gravel in the mix. Cement is a common material in Africa
for these types of projects. The cement is poured into a box or cube to
create a block. The Cement is allowed to set up but not cure. The lack
of gravel in the mix allows for the still somewhat wet and soft cement
to be carved and shaped before it sets up completely.
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Know Your Moroni
1
Maki, Elizabeth. “Our Heritage: A People Prepared-Joseph W. ‘Billy’ Johnson.” Africa
West,
2
Interview at Church History Museum with Marvin Quist, 10 July 2018.
Moroni’s place in the restoration of the Gospel is an essential and

pivotal occurrence. In Joseph's earlier visit from Heavenly Father and
his son Jesus Christ they had told him of Christianity's fall. Moroni’s
visit announced a return and restoration of what had been. Father in
Heaven now planned to give the fullness of all he had to his children
on earth.
Moroni, the last caretaker of the records of his people came to tell of a
history. One completed by and abridged by his own hand. A record
concealed in a nearby hill, and prepared as the means to bring forth a
“Marvelous Work and a Wonder.”
On the night of September 21, 1823, Joseph knelt down with a

determination to find his standing before God. He had become
concerned over his recent behavior. While no different from any
other boy his age, he felt his actions were not in line with those
expected of one who had seen God and his Son. While in the act of
prayer, his room grew brighter until exceeded the light of Noon Day.
The light came from a heavenly being, Moroni himself, come to give
prophecy and direction.
Joseph was visited by Moroni 3 times that night. Each time Moroni
returned the message or a variation of it was repeated. The next
morning, exhausted, he would join his father and brother in the family
fields. His father, seeing his exhausted condition, sent him home from
642 | Page
the family fields. Heading home, Moroni again appeared to Joseph.

Again, the message of the night before was repeated. Then Moroni’s
directed him to return to his Father in the field, and tell him all that
had heard and seen. His Father instructed him to follow the Angel’s
directions to visit a nearby hill.
Joseph went to the hill, locating the spot the angel had directed him
to. There, he uncovered the record and was about to take it when
Moroni appeared to him a fifth time that day. Moroni instructed him
to return to this same spot each year, for the time to receive the
record was not yet. Each year he would receive further instruction
until the time for the record to come forth arrived.
Joseph would meet with Moroni at the hill each year for the next
three years, finally receiving the record from Moroni in the winter of
1827.
Besides the appearance to receive the record, Joseph would meet

with the Angel many times over the years between 1823 and 1829.
He would appear to take the plates and the interpreters back after the
loss of the first 116 pages of the Book of Mormon. He would deliver
them again when translation resumed. Upon moving from Harmony to
Fayette, Joseph was concerned about the safety of the plates. Moroni
obtained them from Joseph in Harmony and delivered them to him
again in Fayette.
With translation completed, it was Moroni that took the plates back
from Joseph. Moroni returned again to show the plates to the first
three witnesses. Moroni brought the plates back to Joseph so that he
could show them to eight others.
While the plates were seen by 11 soles, Moroni himself was seen by
more than the three witnesses and Joseph. Oliver Cowdery, David
Whitmer and Emma Smith all briefly saw Moroni carrying the plates
during their move from Harmony to Fayette.1
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Know Your Moroni
Hyrum Smith saw Moroni when he, Joseph and David Whitmer took
the plates back to Cumorah after the translation. 2
Mary Whitmer, Mother of David Whitmer, saw Moroni and the plates
one evening when stressed over the extra guests residing in her
house. 3
W. W. Phelps met Moroni who helped him find food, water for his
horses, and the way to Far West one night while lost. John P. and
Rhoda Green saw Moroni when he arrived at their home asking for a
loaf of bread for W.W. Phelps, then lost and on his way to Far West. 4
Luke Johnson, Zera Pulsipher, Harrison Burgess and Oliver Granger

each had a vision of the angel Moroni after praying to know the truth
of the Book of Mormon. 5
Heber C. Kimball and John Taylor each had a vision or visitation from
Moroni as well. 6 According to one source, Sculptor Torlief Knaphus
may have been visited by Moroni as well.7
1
Pettit, Tom, “Moroni Appeared to 17 Different People,” livingheritagetours.com.; Ricks,
Eldin, “Moroni, Visitations of,” Encyclopedia of Mormonism, eom.byu.edu.
2
Pettit, Tom; Ricks, Eldin.
3
4
5
6
7
Tom Alder, “Alder’s Accounts: Torlief S. Knaphus,” ArtistsofUtah.org
It is not possible, from the accounts we have, to know exactly what

Moroni looked like. Joseph described his appearance in his account of
Moroni’s first appearance to him. His description however focused
644 | Page
primarily on his dress, recounting how his visitor was dressed in robes
of “exquisite whiteness.” The robe came short of his ankles, and feet,
leaving both bare. His head and neck were also uncovered. Joseph
described Moroni’s countenance as being “truly like lightning,” saying
that his entire being was glorious beyond description, with bright light
being gathered immediately around his person.1
David Whitmer, Mary Whitmer, Oliver Cowdery, and John P. Green

each described Moroni as an old man. 2
Harrison Burgess described him as a “Glorious personage clothed in

white”. 3
1
Pearl of Great Price, Joseph Smith History 1:30-47
2
3
It is known that, after the destruction of his people, Moroni wandered

for many years, at least 20-30. Where he wandered is a subject of
much speculation. There are a series of popular stories spread around
the church about those travels. There are traditions that Moroni
wandered through the area and dedicated one plot or another for the
building of a temple. These traditions are especially prevalent in the
early Utah Temples. The stories are usually attributed to statements
made by Brigham Young.
In the case of the Manti Temple Warren S. Snow made such a

statement.
Orson F. Whitney's "Life of Heber C. Kimball" quotes the story on page

436:
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Know Your Moroni
"Early on the morning of April 25, 1877, President Brigham Young

asked Brother Warren S. Snow to go with him to Temple hill. Brother
Snow says, 'We two were alone, President Young took me to the spot
where the Temple was to stand. We went to the southeast corner, and
President Young said, "Here is the spot where the Prophet Moroni
stood and dedicated this piece of land for a Temple site and that is the
reason why the location is made here, and we can't move it from this
spot, and if you and I are the only persons that come here at high
noon today, we will dedicate this ground.'"
There are some issues with this story.
For one, the groundbreaking of the Manti Temple took place just 19
days after the dedication of the St. George Temple. Brigham Young,
who attended both events, had to be carried from room to room in
the St. George Temple for the dedication. Four men were enlisted to
carry his chair. When he stood and delivered the dedicatory prayer, it
was considered a miracle. The thought that Brigham could have
traveled by himself, unassisted, to the south east corner of the temple
(then buried within a steep hill) would have been a miracle to exceed
that of the St. George Temple dedication. Brigham was very ill at this
time and died just 4 days later back in Salt Lake.
Warren S. Snow had been a Bishop in the Manti area, and had been
highly favored of Brigham Young. However, many years prior, due to
accusation of poor or unbefitting behavior by members in the area,
Warren had fallen out of said favor. Warren had worked faithfully and
studiously to get back into good graces, but there is no indication that
the breach between himself and Brigham had been healed. Certainly
not to such a degree as would be needed for this exchange.
Perhaps, presuming the story to be true, such an exchange between

himself and the prophet would indicate a proffered olive branch on
President Young’s part?
646 | Page
In 1987 efforts were made to source these statements of Brigham

Young. John A Peterson, then a historian for the Church, searched
through many records. His search included records that are closed to
public research. Many of these records were from the actual
groundbreaking and site dedication. His thinking was that a revelation
of such importance would have been reported elsewhere. Surely,
Brigham would have told others at the groundbreaking. At the very
least, Brigham should have mentioned it to one of the apostles or
seventies present. His search found nothing outside of Brother Snow’s
statement. In fact, every time the story had been quoted by a general
authority, they were in turn quoting the statement of Warren S. Snow.
An inquiry was made by me to the Church history department as to

whether or not the church has an official stance on the story of
Moroni’s travels. They replied that due to the uncertain origin they
have no official stance on the reality of the story.
It is important to remember that, twice dedicated site or not, the

Manti Temple is a Temple because it was dedicated to the Lord as
such by a prophet. No other event is necessary.
The controversy over the hill dedication storyaxsAc0076 led to a civic

battle in Manti in 2012. A park, west of the temple was nearing
completion, and a statue of Moroni was slated to be placed there.
Citing that the Church had been unable to prove the tradition true, the
Central Utah Pioneer Heritage Board decided not to place the statue.
Doing so, they felt, would lend credit to a story they began to feel was
a myth. Even though the statue was not about the Hill's dedication,
they put the statue in storage in 2014. The decision proved unpopular
with residents. Some pushed the story as true. Many more however
felt the statue commemorated the man, not the dedication. They
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Know Your Moroni
argued it to still be a fitting subject for the park. To date, the statue
remains in storage.
wo hand drawn maps can be found, dating back to the early days of
the Territory of Utah that purport to show the actual travel routes of
Moroni. These maps are often cited as supporting evidence for Moroni
visiting Manti.
Of note with both maps, however, is that neither one specifies that
Moroni traveled to St. George or Manti or any of the Utah sites at all.
They do both list Independence, Nauvoo, and Adam-ondi-ahman. The
maps state that Moroni traveled to the “Sand Hills of Arisony [sic]”,
and even mentions the “Land Bountiful Sentril [sic] America.”
The maps list places like Arizona and Salt Lake City. Unfortunately,
these names came into being after Joseph’s death.
Both maps are said to have been dictated by Joseph Smith, but both
maps are now thought to have been made after his death, and most
likely represent someone’s memory of a statement that may have
been made by Joseph. It is also possible that one map was a
reproduction of the other. At least one map lists a line of 3 individuals
the information passed through before ending up on paper. Though
both maps are from different people and appear similar, many
scholars and historians doubt they were dictated by Joseph at all.
In 2014, the same year the Mortal Moroni statue was put in storage,
the Church made moves to downplay the tradition. A painting in the
Manti Temple depicting Moroni dedicating the Temple Hill was
removed and placed into storage. The script of the “Mormon Miracle
Pageant,” also known as the Manti Pageant, was changed that same
year. In the change a reference to the Moroni/Manti hill dedication
tradition was removed.
648 | Page
Some have stated that the distance would have been too far for
Moroni to wander, even with all the time he had. There is a story of a
British sailor, David Ingram, who was shipwrecked around the Yucatan
in the 16th century. Ingram walked from Tampico Mexico to the
Maine/Canada border in 11 months. The possibility of Moroni having
made the journey is not in question. Some argue that needing to haul
the records would have slowed Moroni down. Even if Moroni had
needed a cart it is not out of the realm of possibility that he could
have made the trip in under 3 decades.1
The question remains, why would Moroni dedicate land for temples?
Moroni was a prophet. It certainly could have been given to him to
know the future of certain parcels of land. It is also within his
responsibilities to dedicate land. But what purpose could it possibly
serve to dedicate a piece of land centuries before its future need? If
Land was pre-dedicated, why would Brigham Young feel the need to
dedicate the property, again? Why not instead explicitly re-dedicate
them? Why again would Moroni only pre-dedicate land that Joseph
Smith and Brigham Young built temples on? What of modern-day
temples, where land is sought for months or years before a temple is
built? If Moroni didn’t pre-dedicate a temple plot, is it then somehow
less worthy?
When the full implications of the story are taken into account, it
doesn’t quite make complete sense.
1
Moroni’s Purported Rambles keepapitchen.org; If the gold plates were originally in
Mesoamerica, how did they get to New York?, fairmormon.org
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Know Your Moroni
In Moroni 10:34 the now lone prophet and believer in God gives his
final public farewell. “And now I bid unto all, farewell. I soon go to
rest in the paradise of God, until my spirit and body shall again
reunite, and I am brought forth triumphant through the air, to meet
you before the pleasing bar of the great Jehovah, the Eternal Judge of
both quick and dead. Amen.”
It’s not officially known what happened to Moroni after writing that.
However, there is a belief held by some that a story circulated is true.
An account of said story can be found in H. Donl Peterson’s essay
“Moroni, Last of the Nephites,”1
At a meeting at Spanish Fork, Utah Co., in the

winter of 1896, Brother Higginson stated in my
presence that Thomas B. Marsh told him that the
Prophet Joseph Smith told him (Thomas B. Marsh,
he being then President of the Twelve), that he
became very anxious to know something of the
fate of Moroni, and in answer to prayer the Lord
gave Joseph a vision, in which appeared a wild
country and on the scene was Moroni after whom
were six Indians in pursuit; he stopped and one of
the Indians stepped forward and measured
swords with him. Moroni smote him and he fell
dead; another Indian advanced and contended
with him; this Indian also fell by his sword; a third
Indian then stepped forth and met the same fate;
a fourth afterwards contended with him, but in
the struggle with the fourth, Moroni, being
exhausted, was killed. Thus ended the life of
Moroni."
650 | Page
The primary problem with this story is that it apparently comes from a
Brother (unknown,) who wrote it down. He having heard it from a
Brother Higginson (also unknown,) who heard it from Thomas B.
Marsh, who heard it from Joseph Smith. There is no other
corroborating source for the story, and knowing the way stories can
change when they are verbally passed along, there is no telling what
was originally told to Thomas B. Marsh by Joseph Smith, and what
relation it bears to the final story.
1
Peterson, H. Donl. “Moroni, the Last of the Nephite Prophets: Religious Studies Center.”
Moroni, the Last of the Nephite Prophets | Religious Studies Center,
Detractors of the Church love to nit-pick over church history. They

point to changes in some early accounts of Joseph’s Smith Story as
proof that it is all a lie. In the Times and Seasons in 1842, a publication
of Joseph’s account of the visitation gives the name of the angel as
Nephi. The Millennial Star replicated this history and listed the name
as Nephi as well.
Other works published earlier than the Times and Seasons article
name the angel as Moroni. This includes one Anti-Mormon publication
from 1834, “Mormonism Unveiled.”
Suppose then, that the whole story was fabricated, as detractors

claim. The fact that the angel had been named as Moroni so many
times previously should have made it easy for Joseph to keep his story
straight. Why then would he become Nephi for a while so late in the
telling?
The error does not fall upon Joseph Smith at all. Rather, this is a case
of someone transcribing or typesetting a story incorrectly.
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Know Your Moroni
Orson Pratt reveals the cause of the error in an 1877 letter to John
Taylor:
“The contradictions in regard to the name of the angelic messenger

who appeared to Joseph Smith occurred probably through the
mistakes of clerks in making or copying documents and we think
should be corrected. . . . From careful research we are fully convinced
that Moroni is the correct name. This also was the decision of the
former historian, George A. Smith.”
The error then lies with a mistake made by Joseph Smith’s clerk, James
Mulholland. In 1839 Mulholland undertook to compile and abridge
Joseph’s history into a single account. Mulholland worked from
various documents, and not from direct dictation from Joseph. Many
of the early writings and accounts Mulholland worked from listed the
angelic visitor simply as “the angel”. Mulholland mistakenly calls the
Angel Nephi at one point. As a consequence, articles based upon
Mulholland’s manuscript for the next 2 decades would refer to the
Angel as either Moroni or Nephi. This despite Joseph’s own writings
from as early as 1835 listing the Angel’s name as Moroni. No evidence
exists that Joseph ever referred to the Angel as Nephi.1
Recently, an old theory on the origin of the name of Moroni has begun
to circulate again. In this theory it is supposed that the name Moroni is
an anagram of imoron. In turn, it is stated that imorn was a widely
published word for a poisonous being in Joseph Smith’s day. The
theory states that the word would have been used by Joseph upon
encountering a Salamander when finding the plates.
This theory was created by D. Michael Quinn for his 1987 book Early
Mormonism and the magic world view. The theory is an attempt to
make the Joseph Smith story mesh with a then recently discovered
document. This document has come to be known as the “Salamander
Letter.” The letter, thought at the time to be authentic, was later
proved and admitted to as being a forgery, created by Mark Hoffman.
652 | Page
Though the falsehood was discovered prior to Quinn’s book going to

press, the theory remained inside. This theory is based upon a false
and forged document. In particular there is no other proof that the
salamander portion is not a complete fabrication. There is no
justification for treating this theory as being in anyway viable.
This theory is based on a falsehood, and was disproved around 30

years ago. It is only included in this book due to its recent resurgence
on the internet.
Many anti-Mormons proclaim Joseph stole the names Moroni and

Cumorah from the City of Moroni on the Comoros islands. There are 3
versions of this theory (typically not a good sign for theories.) The first
claim is that he spoke with sailors who had been to those islands. The
second claim is that he read tales of Captain Kidd, who spent time
around the Comoros islands. The third claim is that he had access to
atlas and gazetteers that would have listed the locations.
All three will be briefly discussed, but first, a question? Why? If the
entirety of Joseph's story was a fabrication, why base any part of it on
anything he was aware of? If it was for lack of creativity, why are there
not other such similarities through his whole story? Why just the one
little part?
The first claim is that Joseph met sailors who had been to Comoros,
and its capitol Moroni. The claim relies solely upon the fact that said
sailors and Joseph Smith lived at the same time, therefore it must be
possible. This is a logical fallacy that states that if something is possible
it must in turn be probable. No other evidence has been presented for
this theory.
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The second claim is that Joseph got the name from stories of Captain
Kidd. The primary source and inspiration for Captain Kidd stories and
legends is Charles Johnson’s 1724 book “A General History of the
Robberies and Murders of the Most Notorious Pirates.” This book
does not mention either the Comoros Islands or Moroni. This story
again relies upon the claim that, as Captain Kidd stories were
available, Joseph must have had access to them. This theory uses the
same logical fallacy as the one of the sailors. Again, no further
evidence has been presented or cited.
The third claim is that Joseph saw the names in Gazetteers and atlases
from the time predating the publishing of the Book of Mormon. Such
tools from that time mention the Comoros Islands, or mention a small
port named Meroni, but never mention both together. As with the
previous theories, this one depends on the claim that if Joseph could
have had access to the books, he must have. Again, as with the other
theories, there is no evidence that Joseph saw such map collections.
The names Comoros and Moroni have meanings in the group of

languages spoken in the Comoros Islands as well as in Swahili. Moroni
means “at the place of fire,” and Comoro means “the place of fire.”
This name has been around since ancient times and can be found on
Arabic maps published over a thousand years ago. This supports the
idea that the names “Moroni” and “Comoro” are of authentic ancient
origin. If it is so “likely,” as detractors say, that the Joseph got the
names from the islands, why not the opposite? Is it not also just as
likely and just as possible that the islands derived their names from
the same languages that gave the real-life prophet his?2
1
Moroni’s visit/Nephi or Moroni, fairmormon.org.
654 | Page
2
Did Joseph Smith obtain the names Cumorah and Moroni from a map of the Comoros
Islands? fairmormon.org
One of the complaints detractors make against the Moroni Story is

that the record he kept was preserved on metal plates. A Method you
will sometimes here them say has not been found to be historically
accurate.
Time has proven otherwise.
Records have been found all over the world engraved on multiple
types of metal. Yes, even gold.
Copper, silver, brass, lead, and tin plates have been found in places
such as Assyria, Persia, India, Java, Bangkok, Italy, Korea, and the
Qumran Caves in Palestine. In that last location, a scroll made of
copper was found among the Dead Sea scrolls.
King Darius, who put Daniel in the lion’s den (see Dan. 6), wrote his
records on gold and silver sheets, in three different languages.
King Sargon II of Ancient Assyria had the same idea. He recorded on

gold, silver, brass, copper, tin and even alabaster.
Nineteen thin sheets of gold, compiled into a book, were found in

Korea in 1965. The sheets contained Chinese engravings with part of
the Buddhist scripture. The pages are approximately fourteen inches
square and have been hinged together so they can open and close like
a book.
Plates found in Pyrgi, Italy, in 1964 are seven and a half inches long
three to four inches wide. They contain Phoenician characters, and
relate to the dedication of a shrine for the goddess Astarte. They date
to about 500 B.C..1
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Know Your Moroni
1
Petersen, Mark E. “The Angel Moroni Came!” The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day
Saints.
There have also been complaints by critics on Moroni’s Choice of

protection, wherein he deposited the sacred record in a stone box
sealed in Cement.
King Darius placed his records in stone boxes and buried them in the
ground for safekeeping.
King Sargon II placed his records in well-made stone boxes to protect

them, and buried them in the ground, in the foundation of his palace.
Some of these stone boxes have been carved from a single stone,
others have been manufactured stone boxes cemented together. They
have ranged from simple stone to engraved obsidian. 1
Complaints have been leveled that there was no cement in ancient

America. As more ancient structures have been unearthed, cement
has been found to be a widely used material, dating back as early as
first century A.D. so far.2
1
Petersen, Mark E. “The Angel Moroni Came!” The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day
Saints.
2
Matthew Roper, "Right on Target: Boomerang Hits and the Book of Mormon," FAIR
Conference, 2001.
“In memory of our God, our religion, and freedom, and our
peace, our wives, and our children” – Captain Moroni
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The Book of Mormon speaks of two great individuals named Moroni.

The first is Captain Moroni, who lived in the first century BC. During his
time his people, the Nephites, were attacked both by another nation
from without and by political dissent from within. His rallying
standard, known as the Title of Liberty, is still an inspiration to millions
today and a remembrance of things worth fighting for.1
He was a master at strategy and tactics, but was never mentioned as

being a Prophet.
This Moroni was not the inspiration for the statue. He was not the
Angel that visited Joseph smith.
1
Alma 43:3 – 62
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Know Your Moroni
Many religions believe in some form of Angel, though what an Angel is

and represents can change from religion to religion. Even religions that
all use the Old testament as part of their scripture (known as Abrahamic
Religions, or religions descended from Abraham,)
differ in their definition.
It is not the purpose of this introduction to define all of the various

meanings and types of Angelic belief in the world, nor the history and
development of these beliefs
Instead, this book is concerned only with the tradition and belief of the
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Specifically, it is interested in
one Angel from the Latter-day Saint culture, Moroni.
In the interest of background and definition, let’s briefly explore the

scriptural accounts of Angels in the view Latter-day Saint culture, along
with the roles they have played in the Plan of our Heavenly Father.
Angels can be seen as early as the book of Genesis. As Adam and Eve are
being evicted from the Garden, a ‘Cherubim and Flaming sword’ are
placed to prevent them from partaking of the fruit of the Tree of Life.,
thus acting the role of a guardian
Three angels announced to Abraham that he would be having a son,

acting as heralds in this case.1
Angels were used as a symbol by the House of Israel in the construction

of the Ark of the Covenant, where figures of Angels known as Cherubim
and depicted with wings,2 were crafted for the top of the chest, known
as the Mercy seat. Figures of Cherubim
Were also sewn into the veil that sat between the Holy Place and the
Holy of Holies in the wilderness Tabernacle.
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After the Children of Israel had been taken captive by Babylon, an Angel
came as a messenger to Zechariah to tell him of the return to Jerusalem,
to the construction of a temple, and the coming off the Messiah.3
The birth of the Savior was announced to shepherds in their fields by an

Angel.4
Throughout the Old Testament stories and accounts can be found of

Teachers, Messengers, Heralds and Guardians all given the title of Angel.
Some of these individuals given the title are believed to have been mortal
men, Prophets and other servants of God. But others are known to have
been beings sent from heaven to fulfill specific roles within the Plan.
In regards to Heavenly beings sent with a task to earth, we have been

taught some specific things about their nature.
The Prophet Joseph Smith said:
“There were two kinds; those who are resurrected personages,

having bodies of flesh and bone. Also, the spirits of just
persons made perfect who have not as yet been
resurrected.,"5
He further taught
"There are none of them that minister to this earth but those
who belong or have belonged to it."6
President Joseph F. Smith further clarified this last statement:
"The messengers sent are inhabitants of this earth who died

and came to unfold his visions of future events, to act as
ministering angels, and wait upon the Savior. Some are
ancient prophets who died and came to visit their fellow
creatures on earth."7
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Know Your Moroni
President Brigham Young added;
“Heavenly beings that live pure and holy and have attained
this power through suffering. They have learned that
righteousness will prevail and truth is the foundation of their
existence. When appointed to a duty, a vision is opened so
that they can understand the magnitude of the work to be
performed. This is why they are of one heart and of one mind
in faithfulness and obedience to God."8
President Joseph Fielding Smith stated:
"Angels come and do only what is essential and nothing for

man that he can do for himself."9
The first of the Angels to appear to Joseph Smith would first do so on 21-
22 September of 1823. This first visitor, who Joseph Smith always
referred to as a Messenger and not an angel, was Moroni, the subject of
this book. Moroni Appeared to Joseph 3 times that first night, and at
least 19 additional times over the next six years. More will be said on
Moroni throughout the rest of this book, but Moroni was just the
beginning when it came to Joseph’s Angelic visitors.
On 15 May of 1829 John the Baptist appeared to Joseph Smith and

Oliver Cowdery, conferring upon them the Aaronic Priesthood in
Harmony Pennsylvania.10
Peter James and John appeared to Joseph and Oliver late in May of 1829
and bestowed upon them the Melchezidek Priesthood somewhere
between Harmony Pennsylvania and Colesville New York.11 (According to
John Taylor, other of the ancient Apostles may have appeared to Joseph
and Oliver at this time as well.)12
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3 April 1836 saw a series of appearances. Joseph Smith and Oliver

Cowdery had been praying together at the pulpits of the Kirtland Ohio
Temple. The visitations started first with the appearance of Jesus Christ,
accepting the temple as his house.13 This divine visitation was then
followed by Prophets of previous dispensations each returning to the
earth with the task of bestowing upon the Prophet of this last great
dispensation the keys that they had been given charge of in life.
Moses appeared first and committed the keys of the gathering of Israel
bringing together of the lost ten tribes. 14
Elias next appeared and bestowed the keys to the dispensation of the
gospel of Abraham. 15
Elijah appeared and presented the keys of turning the hearts of the
fathers to the children, and the hearts of the Children to the fathers. 16
John Taylor taught that Joseph had visitations from Seth, Enoch, Isaac,
the New World Apostles and the Old-World Apostles.17 Orson Pratt
mentioned Joseph receiving visits from Nephi and Mormon, as well as
others.
Joseph Smith himself speaks of visits from Gabriel and Raphael, and of
“diverse angels from Michael or Adam down to the present time”18
Angels have played important roles in the Church of Jesus Christ of

Latter-day Saints. Many experiences are too sacred or too personal to be
shared publicly. But some of these experiences are fundamental parts of
the History of the Church. This is especially true with experiences that
happened in the early days of the temple.19
The Kirtland Ohio Temple marked some very remarkable Angel

Experiences. Especially during its dedication on Sunday, 27 March 1836.
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Know Your Moroni
"Frederick G. Williams arose and testified that while President

Rigdon was making his prayer, an angel entered the window
and took his seat between Father Smith and himself, and
remained during the prayer.20
"President David Whitmer also saw angels in the house."21
More angel experiences occurred during a Quorum meeting in the

temple later that night
"Brother George A. Smith arose and began to prophecy, when

a noise was heard like the sound of a rushing mighty wind,
which filled the temple. All the congregation simultaneously
arose, being moved by an invisible power. Many began to
speak in tongues and prophecy. Others saw glorious visions
and I (Joseph smith) beheld the temple was filled with angels,
which fact I declared to the congregation. The people of the
neighborhood came running together (hearing an unusual
sound within, and geeing a bright light like a pillar of fire
resting upon the temple), and were astonished at what was
taking place."22
Wilford Woodruff then serving as the first president of this temple

shared a Temple/Angel experience. He testified that the signers of the
Declaration of Independence appeared to him and petitioned him to do
work for them in the temple. This was done and included most of the
Presidents of the United States up to that time as well as Christopher
Columbus.23
The Logan Utah temple has reports of several Angelic visitations. On 21

May 1888 President Lorenzo Snow reported the following during the
dedication:
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"a number of the Saints heard most heavenly voices singing.

Some say the prophets Joseph, Hyrum and Brigham present in
the temple."24
Over the course of the dedication, which lasted for a couple of days,
other incidents were reported
"When Apostle Lyman was speaking, I heard strains of

heavenly music coming from above, sometimes soft,
sometimes louder; as though the choir music was wafting to
and fro in the air."25
Other visitations are recorded after the dedication, such as this tory
related by Elder Melvin J Ballard
"All at once a vision opened to me and I beheld a great

congregation of people gathered in the east end of the font
room. One by one, as each name was baptized for, one of
these people climbed a stairway over the font to the vest end
of the room. Not one soul was missing, but there was a person
for every one of the thousand names done that day."26
With these stories, as well as many others certainly unshared, is it any

wonder that an Angel would eventually be chosen to adorn the spire of
the temples?
In 700 B.C. the prophet Isaiah spoke of a book of revelation given, from
“Those who slumbered, to a man who is not learned, and it would be a
marvelous work and a wonder.”27 That book is the Book of Mormon, and
as the Prophet Joseph declared, it is the “keystone off our religion”28
Around A.D. 90 the Apostle John, while on the isle of Patmos, recorded a
series of revelations now in the book known as Revelation. One of these
revelations talked of an angel bringing forth a revelation.
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Know Your Moroni
“And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having

the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the
earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and
people, saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to
him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him
that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains
of waters.”29
Moroni was that angel, and the everlasting gospel he brought to preach
was the Book of Mormon. Upon his first visit to Joseph, he told Joseph of
a book that contained the fullness of the everlasting gospel and was a
record of those who had slept.30
He told Joseph that he was the messenger sent to prepare the way
before the Lord as prophesied by Malachi, and spoke of the importance
of “turning the hearts of the fathers to the children and the children to
the fathers.”31
In a revelation dated 3 November 1831, the Lord confirmed that Moroni

was the Angel in Revelation 14, seen by John “Flying in the midst of
heaven having the everlasting Gospel.”32
1 Genesis 18:1-10
2 Joseph Fielding Smith, Answers to Gospel Questions, Vol. II, p. 97.
3 Zechariah 1:9-16
4 Luke 2:8-12
5 Doctrine and Covenants 129:1-3
6 Doctrine and Covenants 130:5
7 Joseph F. Smith, The Sermons and Writings of Joseph F. Smith, pp. 435-436.
8 Journal of Discourses, Vol II, p. 15.
9 Joseph Fielding Smith, Doctrines of Salvation, Vol I, pp. 196-197.
12 Journal of Discourses, 21:94
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17 Gibbs, George f. “Discourse by President John Taylor,” Journal of Discourses 21:94.
19 Many angels, not specifically identified, as noted in Doctrine and Covenants 128:20-21.
That scripture notes the voices (meaning visits) of Moroni, Michael, and Peter, James, and
John. It also speaks of “the voice of Gabriel, and of Raphael, and of divers angels, from
Michael or Adam down to the present time, all declaring their dispensations, their rights,
their keys, their honors, their majesty and glory, and the power of their priesthood; giving
line upon line, precept upon precept; here a little and there a little.” Information from
History of the Church, 1:39-41, 2:381, 428; D&C 27:12-13, 110:11-16, 128:20-21; JD, 13:47,
17:374, 21:94; and Andrus, Joseph Smith, the Man and the Seer, p. 95.
20 Journals of Eliza R, Snow, Deseret News Press, 1943, p. 189.
21 History of the Church, Vol II p. 427
22 History of the Church, Vol II, p. 428.
23 Nels B. Lundwall, Temples of the Most High, (SLC: Bookcraft,) pp. 84-85, 90-91.
24 Manti Temple Centennial Book, (SLC: Manti Temple Centennial Committee, 1988,) pp.
56-57
25 Manti Temple Centennial Book, (SLC: Manti Temple Centennial Committee, 1988,) pp.
56-57
26 Nolan P. Olson, Logan Temple, The First One Hundred Years, 1978 pp. 153-154, 170-175
27 Isaiah 29:11-14 and 2 Nephi 27:6, 7, 9, 11, 24, 26
28 Book of Mormon introduction Page
29 Revelation 14:6-
30 Pearl of Great Price, Joseph Smith History 1:33-34
31 Malachi 3:1
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Know Your Moroni

Edition 2022 rev. 3

Compiled and written by Brian A. Olson

Based on original research by Marvin D. Quist

Malin’s Style .............................................................................................................. 63

Wallgren’s Moroni ....................................................................................................... 109

Work for the Church ............................................................................................... 147

The Hague Netherlands........................................................................................... 211

Old Home Faces New Home.................................................................................... 251

Adelaide Australia ........................................................................................................ 348

Burley Idaho ................................................................................................................. 384

Farmington New Mexico .............................................................................................. 420

Kona Hawaii ................................................................................................................. 456

Monticello Utah ........................................................................................................... 492

Praia Cabo Verde ......................................................................................................... 528

Sapporo Japan .............................................................................................................. 564

Vernal Utah .................................................................................................................. 600

Angels that appeared to Joseph Smith ......................................................................... 660

Who was Moroni? A general, a historian, a son, a prophet1 and an angel

Moroni lived on the American Continent A.D. 385-421.

As a historian, he recorded the downfall of his people. This Commission

As a prophet, he wandered alone through the ruins of what had

As an angel, he would bring the news of the ancient record to Joseph

“And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having

Wilford Woodruff commissioned Cyrus Dallin to design a statue for the

Hill Cumorah Monument

“The Angel Moroni statue, which appears on the top of several

In the United States weather vanes became a necessity in agricultural

Combining a functional weather indicator for the community and a

The first temple of the Restored Church, dedicated in 1836, was in

Short Tower of the

Original design of the

SCULPTOR PLACED CURRENTLY ON

Early drawings of the Nauvoo Temple by the Temple’s architect, William

Two views of the

A reporter for the Cincinnati Times related the account of a visitor to

One Pioneer, Perregrine Sessions wrote of the placement of the spire in

While Angel weathervanes were nothing new, being found on buildings

And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire,

Speculation has been made by many as to the eventual fate of the

This proposes 2 possible scenarios.

That the Angel was returned is a matter of record. Thomas Bullock

Pennsylvania, King Bairs Printers, 1850.

Mo: Herald House, 1952), pp. 100-101.

Church History Library, (accessed: August 12, 2019)

Historical Society 38 (1945): 484.

There is a division between what constitutes a sculpture, and what is

Carving is a subtractive method. In carving, the sculptor starts with a

Opposite to carving, sculpting is an ad dative method of creation. This

All of the Statues currently in use on the temples were produced

The statue has a different sculptor than preceding versions.

The statue has a different pose from its predecessors.

It must be a statue, not a sculpture.

Now let’s discuss the criteria.

Anytime a sculpture is created by a new artist, it will be counted as a

We will not be focusing much, if at all, on assistant sculptors for any of

Anytime a sculpture is created by a new artist, it will be counted as a

There is one statue that is not being counted as a separate model or

An early sketch by William Ward, assistant Architect to Truman O. Angel,