The 155th Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter-day Saints, which was designed specifically for Connecticut, is now open for tours in Farmington.

By Joy Taylor

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints temple in Farmington, CT. Photo credit: Joy Taylor

If you’ve been on Route 4 in Farmington lately, you’ve no doubt noticed the vision of architectural wonder that is the opulent new Hartford Connecticut Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter-day Saints. It’s the only one in the state, and now’s the time to act on that curiosity and go see it as my husband Andy and I did with his fellow Winding Trails board members.

Designed and decorated specifically for Connecticut, with homage to the New England architectural style of the mid 1800s, the 32,000-square-foot structure is filled with oil paintings depicting Connecticut landscapes, as well as many original works showing Jesus. There are multiple occurrences of the oak leaf and acorn motif throughout the building as a shout out to the state tree, and the building is made of marble, inside and out.

The handwoven and hand-knotted rugs throughout are from New Zealand, China and India and one features a diamond-lattice motif incorporating Connecticut’s state flower, the mountain laurel.

While the building is elaborate and the epitome of elegance, we had a very warm welcome and informative tour. Questions are encouraged on the tour and plenty of volunteers were on hand to eagerly answer anything as we traveled from room to room.

The most surprising part of the tour is that the temple is actually made of many smaller rooms, including a chapel, for various stages of the spiritual journey during a member’s visit. The temple was built for the 27,000 Mormons throughout southern New England and New York, and members will typically visit as often as a few times per week, or sometimes just once a month. They visit other meeting houses for Sunday church services.

For a limited time only, the temple is open to the general public, including children of all ages, for open house tours from Friday, Sept. 30, through Saturday, Oct. 22, 2016. Tours are not available on Oct. 1, 2, 9 and 16, 2016.

Admission is free, but reservations must be requested through an online reservation system by clicking here. 

The temple is located right off of Route 4 in Farmington at 2 Central Way. Modest dress is requested and parking attendants will be on hand. Plan to arrive early to allow time for traffic and parking.

Open house tours begin with a short video presentation providing an overview of temples and why they are significant to members of the Church. At the conclusion of the tour, you are invited to a reception area to have any further questions answered. Temple facts can be seen here.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints temple in Farmington Connecticut. Photo credit: Joy Taylor

Joy and Andy Taylor pose at the photo booth at the end of the tour of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints temple in Farmington Connecticut. Submitted