Church Agrees to Preserve Historic Murals in the Manti Temple

In the latest update of the Manti Utah Temple renovation, the Church has finally agreed to preserve the murals in the temple.

It was initially planned to be removed, but it was later reversed after the community earnestly prayed and hoped to preserve it instead.

Roberts said the Manti Temple renovation would be a mix of preservation, restoration, and installation of new equipment.

Research has been done on many aspects, including soil composition, limestone strength, concrete and plaster sampling, water infiltration methodologies, and historical aspects of the original temple design. Current mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems will be evaluated, renewed, or replaced. Audiovisual equipment will be installed for the film presentations. And work will be done to eliminate or control water infiltration into the temple, primarily on its east wall and footing, he said.

“Great effort and research have also gone into the proper procedures and methods to clean, restore and preserve the finishes of the temple,” Roberts said. “This includes the murals. As President Nelson said, they will remain in place, and we will be doing some cleaning and preservation of them, as we have been doing for many years.”

Bishop Waddell said the Manti house of the Lord is a “jewel of a temple.” Latter-day Saints “owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to determined pioneers who settled in this area and who had to battle rattlesnakes for possession of this valley,” he said. “During the construction of this sacred edifice [in the 1870s and 1880s], some workmen walked the seven miles from Ephraim each Monday morning and back home again Saturday night. In addition to being self-sacrificing, their service was of the highest quality. The work that will now be done will not only honor the Lord but will honor our pioneer forbears whose sacrifice and talent will continue to be on display for generations to come as members of the Church worship in this sacred house of the Lord.”

Elder Duncan said that volunteers would be invited to serve in either the Cedar City or Payson Utah Temples as needed during the construction of the temples in Ephraim and Manti.