Wheat as a Temple Symbol

When you think of Latter-day Saint temple architectural symbols you usually think of the sun, moon and star stones.  Perhaps you think of the Angel Moroni.  One symbol you might overlook is wheat.  Several temples are adorned with wheat designs.  These can represent many things, including:

- Christ is the bread of life.  We need to be constantly nourished spiritually by him.
- A reminder about the parable of the wheat and the tares and that we need to be the righteous wheat that is safely gathered in.
- Preparedness.
- A reminder that the earth is "white, already to harvest" and that there is a need for missionary work.
- A reminder of the gathering of Israel just as wheat is gathered in from a field.

There are many more ways that wheat is used in our religion and many interpretations of its use in temple architecture can be found.  Here is my list of temples using a wheat design:

Cardston Alberta / Edmonton Alberta Temples (maybe)

Both of these share the same symbol (Edmonton copied it from Cardston because they are in the same province).  I've read that the symbol is the three hollyhocks, but I have since noticed that they don't resemble hollyhocks.  I've also read that the Edmonton Temple has wheat on its front so I assume it is this symbol.  I haven't seen pictures of this symbol on the Cardston Temple but assume it is there because the Flickr user said it was copied from the Cardston Temple for the Edmonton Temple.  If you know any more on this, please comment and let us know.

Seattle Washington Temple
The Seattle Temple has wheat designs in the cast stone panels sheathing the building.  The relief sculptures are huge staffs or wheat.  The narrow, tall, pointed windows enhance the wheat theme.

Rexburg Idaho Temple
The Rexburg Temple uses wheat in several ways.  First, the columns are made to look like stylized wheat.  Secondly, and most obviously, the stained glass windows throughout the temple are filled with wheat patterns that get fuller as you rise in the temple.  Third, other decorative details such as painted wall details, sculpted carpets, and metal details on the staircases have a wheat pattern.


San Antonio Texas Temple
The stained glass in the San Antonio Temple includes details of wheat.


I thought that the Manhattan Temple had glass panels on the exterior of wheat, but I've noticed that they don't quite match wheat and I read (on untrustworthy wikipedia) that they are representing flowing water.  I'm not sure what they are, but if any of you know, please let me know.  I would like them to be wheat, but if not that is also okay.  Whatever they are, I think if they were added on the other side (around the corner) the building would look better.  On the interior it is ornate, but the exterior is rather plain.

Those are the temples that I have found that use wheat as a symbol.  If you know of other temples that use wheat as a symbol, please comment and tell us about it.  If you know more details about some of these wheat symbols, write a comment and let us know.

In the press releases for some of these temples it was noted that wheat was used because of the agriculture in the area.  That is nice and great; however, since wheat is very clearly a symbol throughout the scriptures I think we should not discount its use in temples as just to blend in with the area.

Calgary Alberta Canada Temple
My original post didn't mention this, but the Calgary Temple, currently under construction, is using wheat in the stained glass and other details.  Please read the first comment on this post for more information.  You can look at a rendering here. Wheat can clearly be seen in the glass and stone details.

Nauvoo Illinois Temple 
My original post didn't mention this temple; however, I was just today looking at interior photos of the temple and bundles of wheat are carved into the door moldings.

The Kyiv Ukraine Temple also has wheat depicted in the baptistry stained glass, celestial room, and elsewhere.

The Laie Hawaii Temple has stylized wheat in the art glass windows.

Latter-day Saint Temple Earth Stones and other Earth Representations

In my last post I mentioned "earth stones" and received a comment from Jon saying that he hadn't heard of them.  This really shouldn't have surprised me as they are somewhat obscure.  In any event, the comment prompted me to write about earth stones.

The Salt Lake Temple as currently built has moon stones and sun stones at two different levels of the buttresses around the building.  Originally it was also planned to have earth stones on the bottom level of the buttresses, just above the ground.  These were planned to have continents carved.  Each stone would show the earth rotated slightly so the stones would be going through the hours of a day.  Symbolically these stones would represent:
1. The current telestial earth (with the moon and sun stones representing the terrestrial and celestial kingdoms of God respectively)
2. Time (hours and days).  These show a progression to eternity.  Reading symbols going up the temple you get:
     earth stones = days and hours
     moon stones = days and months
     sun stones = days and seasons and years
     star stones = seasons and years (certain constellations come up at different times of the year)
     star stones representing planets = years - planets move in patterns taking years
     Saturn stones (originally planned) = years
     North Star (Implied by big dipper) = Eternity
3. Earth as the celestial kingdom of God.
There are probably other interpretations such as the gospel going to all the world, or creation.

When it was decided to make the Salt Lake Temple out of granite it became impossible to add the desired details to the earth stones.  They are still on the Salt Lake Temple, but they are blank spheres seen here.

When the Washington D.C. Temple was built the church added earth medallions on the doors.  This is the first time I am aware of that earth stones with actual details of continents appeared on a temple.

The only other temple I am aware of with earth stones is the Edmonton Alberta Canada Temple.  It has earth stones on the outer gate wall complete with continents.


I should recognize that other temples have circles in squares at their bases which could be considered blank earth stones like those on the Salt Lake Temple; however, I don't know that any of those are actually intending to be earth stones.