Angel Moroni Statues Placed atop Three Temples

Statues of the angel Moroni were set atop the spires of three temples on 21 September 2001, the 178th anniversary of Moroni’s first appearance to the Prophet Joseph Smith. Small crowds gathered at temples in Nauvoo, Illinois; Boston, Massachusetts; and The Hague, Netherlands, to watch construction workers place the gold-plated, 6-foot 10-inch statues.

More than 500 spectators cheered as the angel statue was set on the dome of the Nauvoo temple. Although the Nauvoo temple is being constructed to closely resemble the original structure, the new temple has a standing angel as do other modern temples rather than a flying angel like the one on the original building.

The Nauvoo temple will be dedicated on 27 June 2002, the 158th anniversary of the martyrdom of Joseph and Hyrum Smith. A five-week open house will be held beginning 18 May 2002, excluding Sundays and Mondays.

The placement of the statue on the Boston temple marked the long-awaited completion of the temple’s steeple. It followed the resolution of a lawsuit filed last year by some local residents who objected to the proposed steeple. The Boston temple was dedicated without its steeple on 1 October 2000.

Local Church leaders and the director of the construction company spoke to a crowd of more than 300 at The Hague temple, who then watched Dutch construction workers wearing traditional wooden shoes climb the scaffolding in order to guide the statue into place.

The Hague temple is scheduled to be completed next summer.

Right: The angel Moroni statue is hoisted to the top of the Nauvoo temple. (Photo by Cory Karl.) Below: The steeple and statue are placed on the Boston temple. (Photo by Don Heiner.) Below right: Five European stake presidents pose with the statue before it is lifted atop The Hague temple. (Photo by Ross Ezra Kendell.)