Jeremy P. Call and Dr. George B. Handley, Classic and Comparative Literature

Lying in the geographic heart of the Mormon faith, the Salt Lake Temple has become a popular icon for the Mormon Church throughout the world and has been the subject of numerous architectural and theological analyses. Architectural analyses often trace historical and stylistic precedents or explain the symbolism of the exterior in relation to Mormon doctrine. Yet the gardens of Temple Square, encompassing twenty-six acres of a site selected by God through the prophet Brigham Young, consecrated as holy ground by President Wilford Woodruff, and cherished by members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, have been neglected in architectural analyses of the Temple and its attendant buildings. I submit that just as the temple architecture reveals and conceals doctrinal truth, the gardens of Temple Square similarly employ symbolism and sacred space to teach the Plan of Salvation. My honors thesis critically investigates how the use of sacred space and symbolism in the temple landscape contributes to Mormon theology.

Several questions initiated the research for this paper, such as, What features or symbols in the gardens create an appropriate sense of sacredness around the Temple? and as a “house of learning@” (Doctrine & Covenants 88:119), What do the gardens of Temple Square teach about Mormon theology?

Interpreting the temple landscape entails reading the gardens as if they were a text or a work of art. First, one identifies the stylistic techniques employed by the author and then understands how these techniques relate to the overall theme or purpose of the text and the values of the author. In the gardens, one pinpoints the landscape features or mechanisms that promote a sense of sacredness and connects them to the underlying values that have produced it. That is, the visible landscape must be defined in relation to unseen beliefs. Undoubtedly, carefully designed landscapes significantly contribute to the sacred atmosphere and act of worship in the temple interior, and an interpretation of those landscapes reveal values central to that act of worship.

The sacred spaces in the Temple gardens are most easily understood when categorized according to archetypes that most cultures deem holy. Characteristics commonly found in sacred architecture of most cultures include, but are not limited to, features such as water symbolism, perfect forms, heavenly dedicated places, center places, cosmic orientation, places of passage, and boundaries of the sacred space. By using these archetypes, landscape features such as walls, terraces, fountains, entrances, and organic or inorganic boundaries subconsciously produce an intimate feeling of reverence and respect in the gardens for God the Creator. They also assist the individual in making the spiritual transition from the profane world into the sacred.

Also encoded in the landscape are features of ancient temples, allusions to edenic gardens, and scriptural symbolism which produce a composite of allusions and associations that teach the Plan of Salvation. For example, the temples of ancient Israel employed vertical and horizontal barriers to produce an unmistakable sense of ascending sacredness as one approached the most holy place, or “Holy of Holies.” The Salt Lake Temple similarly employs walls and terraces to create courtyards and passageways that isolate the Temple proper from the public spaces of the Visitors Center, Assembly Hall, and Tabernacle.

As an allegory of theological themes, the gardens reveal original insights into Mormon beliefs. The sacred spaces and symbols offer numerous theological implications within the framework of the Plan of Salvation. This first interpretative study of the gardens of Temple Square produces an original contribution to the interpretation of religious landscapes and the study of Mormon culture.

The implication of the temple landscapes as holy ground extends beyond the contexts of the temple experience. It represents a valuable hermeneutic for further semiotic research in landscape interpretation and landscape design. An understanding of sacred spaces in the temple landscape can be used by landscape designers and architects to create intimate rooms in the environment. Additionally, an awareness and understanding of symbols in the temple landscape optimizes the temple experience, enabling one to be taught more fully the doctrines of the kingdom.

As we learn more truths about ourselves, our use of the land, and the plan of our Father in Heaven, our understanding of temple landscapes and their relationship to the doctrines of the kingdom will expand. Undoubtedly, as more temples are built, semiotical studies will yield even greater insights into the Plan of Salvation. Brigham Young prophesied that Ato accomplish this work there will have to be not only one temple but thousands of them@ (Church 310). He also taught that as humankind increased in knowledge and truth, the design and nature of temple work would change (Hamilton, Architectural Monograph 147).