- The "Holiness to the Lord" panel on the Salt Lake Temple had been restored, the latest temple update says.
- Artist Anne Domenech, who helped regild the letters, said learning about their sculptor, John Rowe Moyle, made the experience holy.
- Temple renovations designed to restore or reflect the temple's original look are ongoing with an open house set for 2027.
SALT LAKE CITY — The "Holiness to the Lord" panel which sits below the angel Moroni statue on the Salt Lake Temple is the newest visible restored portion of the temple, although blocked by scaffolding, to people watching progress on the historic restoration project.
These words, "Holiness to the Lord, the house of the Lord" found in Exodus 28:36, are placed on the outside of each temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Anne Domenech, an artist with Evergreen, oversaw the work of regilding the letters.
Domenech prepared each surface carefully and applied the gold, taking into account climate changes and sun interference with drying as she completed the complicated process, according to an update on the Salt Lake Temple published by the church on Thursday.
She said the story of the sculptor of the words she was covering with gold moved her "to the bottom of my soul."
"I was there, putting gold leaf on what (John Rowe Moyle) had touched and engraved and sculpted in the wall of the temple. From that moment, everything became almost holy," Domenech said.
Moyle was a stonecutter who traveled to Utah with a handcart company. While working on the temple, he would travel 22 miles from Alpine weekly, returning home for the weekends. After he suffered a leg injury, he carved his own wooden leg to allow him to continue working on the temple and carve those words.
In addition to Domenech's work on the outside of the temple, work is being done to finish multiple rooms inside the temple and restore intricate details matching the historical look of the temple.
Thursday's update said workers have removed scaffolding from the fifth floor's large assembly room and are working on finishing work in that space. The room is designed for large gatherings of church leaders.
Chandeliers have been installed in the north sealing wing along the north wall of the temple — a wing which adds 12 new sealing rooms to the temple, increasing capacity for marriages and family sealings. The altars for the rooms are in the process of being gilded and the stonework and window trim are being placed.
Church President Russell M. Nelson announced a six-month open house for the temple will be held in 2027, the first time the general public will be allowed to tour the temple since 1893 before its initial dedication.
He announced plans to renovate the temple in April 2019, and it closed at the end of that year, meaning it will have remained closed for over seven years for the extensive renovations.
The church has previously said the renovations are designed to mirror the original Salt Lake Temple. Much of the temple is being preserved, but aspects added during later renovations are being removed and replaced with designs closer matching the original temple, and the new temple is designed to have a significantly increased capacity.
