St. George Utah Temple
Historic sites
Utah's first completed Latter-day Saint temple, dedicated in 1877. Its brilliant white pioneer-era exterior and surrounding grounds are a St. George landmark, with a public visitors' center on site.
Historic Significance
The St. George Utah Temple was the first Latter-day Saint temple completed in Utah, and the first anywhere in more than thirty years. Brigham Young presided over the November 1871 groundbreaking, and the building was dedicated in April 1877, near the end of his life — he directed the construction but was too ill to officiate at the dedication itself.
It has operated continuously longer than any other, which makes it the oldest working temple in the church. Its gleaming white exterior and tower make it one of the most recognizable pioneer-era landmarks in southern Utah.
A building repeatedly rebuilt
A structure standing this long does not stand unchanged. It has been rebuilt in part more than a dozen times, beginning within a few years of its dedication.
The most recent was the largest. The temple closed in late 2019 for a structural, mechanical and electrical overhaul and reopened after rededication in December 2023. It was the first of the pioneer-era temples completed under the restoration program begun that same year, which makes the building both the oldest in continuous service and among the most recently rebuilt.
Visiting the Grounds and Visitors' Center
The temple stands at 250 E 400 S in St. George on a roughly 6.5-acre site. Access indoors follows the standard rule for these buildings, but the grounds and exterior are open to anyone and are a popular spot for visitors and photographers.
There is a free visitors' center a short walk away, open to everybody. If you want to get indoors and understand what you are looking at, that is where to do it — the details are in the questions below.
In December the grounds are lit for Christmas and draw a large crowd with no connection to the church at all.
Not the Only One
St. George has a second temple, Red Cliffs, dedicated in 2024 out in Washington Fields on the east side of the valley. Visitors intending one regularly arrive at the other, so it is worth checking which you mean before setting off — the two temples of St. George explains the differences and what the public can see at each.
Related on the site: the city's pioneer-era landmarks and walking historic downtown.
Frequently asked questions
How old is it compared with other temples?
It is the oldest still in service anywhere in the church — the first completed in Utah, and the first built anywhere after a gap of more than three decades. Nothing else has been operating this long without interruption.
Has the building been altered over the years?
Extensively, and more than a dozen times. A lightning strike in 1883 forced an early replacement of the cupola, and the first annex went up the same year. The paradox is that the oldest working temple is also one of the most thoroughly rebuilt.
Why did it close for four years?
For a full structural, mechanical and electrical overhaul beginning in late 2019 — the deepest work it had ever had. It reopened after rededication in December 2023, the first of the pioneer-era temples finished under the restoration program launched the same year the work started.
When is the best time to see it?
December, if you can time it. The grounds are lit through the holidays and draw a substantial crowd who have no connection to the church — it functions as a civic Christmas attraction. The rest of the year, the white stone photographs best in the low light at either end of the day.
Can the public go inside the St. George Utah Temple?
The temple interior is reserved for members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. However, the grounds and exterior are open to visitors, and a free visitors' center nearby is open to the general public.
Why is the St. George Utah Temple historically significant?
Dedicated in 1877, it was the first Latter-day Saint temple completed in Utah and remains one of the region's most notable pioneer-era landmarks.
Where is the temple visitors' center?
The visitors' center is at 490 South 300 East in St. George, a short walk from the temple itself. Admission is free and it is open to the general public daily, including Sundays, with exhibits on Jesus Christ, temples and local history and a replica of the Christus statue. The temple interior is reserved for members of the church.
Address
250 E 400 SSt. George, UT 84770