Southern Architecture

Southern Architecture

Introduction

The Nauvoo temple is some work of southern architecture that was done by the church of Jesus Christ. It was built in 1841 through the efforts and sacrifices of the followers of Joseph Smith. The structure was constructed of limestone and it was completed in 1846 and the top most floor was given to the Mormons to use for their sacred purposes. The Mormons did not take a lot of time in the place but later left for the rocky mountain west. When the Mormons left, only a few constructors were left for purposes of completing the building. The Nauvoo temple is one of the best temples in Illinois. It is the second temple to be built after the first temple which had been built in Ohio in the United States. The building of the church was faced with many difficulties beginning with the problem that arose when the wall of the church was completed and the church’s attempts to sell the church after it had been forced out of Nauvoo. This very building came to be destroyed by fire and was afterwards demolished for safety reasons. Some of the stones that had been used to build the temple were used by the residents within the area to build some of their houses. This paper will seek to analyze sacrifice as the picture that this temple portrays. This is in relation to the sacrifices that these people made especially when they were constructing the temple. Some of them went through real prosecution but they never gave up building the temple. The paper will also seek to focus the paper in line with the material aspect of the southern culture.

Nauvoo A Symbol of Sacrifice

Nauvoo temple has been recognized as a symbol of sacrifice. To begin with, the temple in Nauvoo was constructed by the some latter day saints that have been sent away from their homes and prosecuted. The sacrifices that they made in building the temple cannot be taken for granted bearing in mind that they didn’t have their permanent homes. They dedicated over five years in building the temple which involved the planning, building, and preparing it for use as a temple. The saints made great sacrifices in building the church especially in terms of time, money, food, and personal possessions. In addition, the individuals who were building the church went through real torture and prosecution but they never gave up not unless they were killed. These are individuals who were determined to sacrifice all that they had including their lives for the sake of the church (Rachel, 2004).

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These saints were sent out of Illinois even before they had completely completed building the temple. The mobs who sent them away destroyed the temple and later set it on fire. Also, all that had been left in the temple was removed by the tornado. Since the destruction of the temple, it is about a hundred and fifty years ago and the temple of Nauvoo has been rebuilt (Chris, 2003). President Gordon B. Hinckley provided the guidance and instructions that were to be used in reconstructing the temple. May be due to the rise in technology, the rebuilding took an approximate two years to be completed. Otherwise, this can be attributed to the sacrifices that the people have towards building the church. A number of dedications were carried out in the temple and all of them were presided by the president Gordon. The attendance in the dedications was amazing because by the thirteenth dedication which was the last dedication, a total of about twenty thousands people had attended the dedications and that the broadcasts of these sessions had been sent to different parts of the world and in different languages to convey the same message that the dedications had for the people. The temple was reconstructed for various reasons; the saints who built the original temple and the sacrifices that these saints made in building the temple and the prosecutions that they suffered in the whole process. The rebuilding of the Nauvoo temple was a sacrifice in itself and was rebuilt in memory of the sacrifices that these saints made which clearly indicates that it is a symbol for sacrifice.

The sacrifices not only took place in this very church but also in different churches. One example of a church that made such sacrifices is the Mormon Tabernacle especially the choir in the church. The choir here raised seventy five thousand dollars which was given to the Illinois whose father and forefather had sacrificed everything they had in order to build the temple. Some stories are given about the prosecutions that these people went through and one cannot help but pity them. One of the elders by the name James E. Faust shared the experiences that the elders who build the Nauvoo temple had gone through (Rachel, 2004). He especially talked of how these people had been moved from town to town with great sufferings being imposed on them. According to this elder, one of the men had been tarred and feathered by a mob until he died of burns.

Just like any other southern history, the style that the church is designed is expensive. Much money is dedicated in rebuilding the temple for memory purposes. The church is not built because the individuals around the area do not a place where they can attend the church. Individuals are contributing large sums of money to be given to family members whose forefathers had undergone some prosecutions during the time when the temple was being built.

Southern Architecture

These reflect the true values of the southern cultures. Concerning the material object, a few aspects have been portrayed in that the individuals have even gone to greater heights of producing video films covering the whole incidents. A film by the name Temple Reborn gives a series of the events that of the original Nauvoo temple and analyses the walls of the newly rebuilt temple (James, 2001).

Conclusion

The Nauvoo temple has made a great history as southern architecture that was done by the church of Jesus Christ. Through the efforts and sacrifices of the followers of Joseph Smith the temple was built although the building was faced with many difficulties. Nauvoo is viewed as a symbol of sacrifice following the sacrifices that the builders made during the construction of the temple. The saints dedicated over five years in building the temple which involved the planning, building, and preparing it for use as a temple. They also made great sacrifices in building the church especially in terms of time, money, food, and personal possessions. After the destruction of the temple about a hundred and fifty years ago, the temple has been rebuilt under the president Gordon B. Hinckley guidance and instructions. Rebuilding the temple took only two years in comparison with the five years that had been used before. After the rebuilding the temple, a number of dedications were carried out in the temple and all of them were presided by the president Gordon. The temple was reconstructed for various reasons; the saints who built the original temple and the sacrifices that these saints made in building the temple and the prosecutions that they suffered in the whole process. The choir to the Mormon tabernacle raised seventy five thousand dollars which was given to the Illinois whose father and forefather had sacrificed everything they had in order to build the temple.

References

Retrieved on 08-Sep-09 on http://users.marshall.edu/~brown/nauvoo/nt-parent.html

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Retrieved on 08-Sep-09 on http://www.historicnauvoo.net/site_view.cfm?Loc=pub&SiteID =20

Retrieved on 08-Sep-09 from http://lds.about.com/library/weekly/aa071802a.htm