Tabernacle

A 'tabernacle is a large building used for church meetings. Typically, it refers to buildings built by the early pioneers as the center piece of a town. Most major Latter-day Saint pioneer towns have a tabernacle in their downtown area. There were seventy-nine tabernacles built in connection with Latter-day Saint settlements between 1850 and 1890. The largest and most famous is the Salt Lake Tabernacle located on Temple Square.

The Historical Value and Significance of Latter-day Saint Tabernacles

Tabernacles built by early members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints were places of great religious and community significance.

Tabernacles are larger than the tens of thousands of regular Latter-day Saint meetinghouses (or chapels) where Latter-day Saints meet weekly for Sunday services. They also differ from temples, which are sacred buildings reserved for faithful Latter-day Saints to worship and perform sacred ordinances. Tabernacles are typically used today for meetings with several congregations combined.

Historically, tabernacles have ranged from simple log cabins (Kanesville, Iowa, constructed in 1847) or adobe (mud brick) buildings (the first tabernacle in Salt Lake City, Utah, 1852) to classically inspired temple-like structures (Bountiful, Utah, 1857–63, Logan, Utah, 1864–91), picturesque Victorian halls (Bear Lake (Paris), Idaho, 1884–89, and Provo, Utah, 1883–96), and buildings that hark back to the American colonies (Boise, Idaho, 1924–25). The last tabernacle built by the Church was the Ogden Tabernacle. Of steel and concrete, it features modern international architecture (1952–56).

Due to popularity, the Salt Lake Tabernacle is often referred to as simply "The Tabernacle" and is often the location where the the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square performs and rehearses. Other tabernacles have seen their purposes change. For instance, the Vernal Tabernacle was converted to the Vernal Utah Temple, and after the fire that destroyed much of the Provo Tabernacle, it was rebuilt and expanded into the Provo City Center Temple.

To take a 3D tour of the Salt Lake Tabernacle, click here.