Dome

Several temples exhibit a magnificent, imposing dome in one of the temple’s principal spaces, such as the celestial room. For example, the Draper Utah Temple features a stunning and elegant dome, circular, with an eight-pointed star set in the center, serving as the dome’s focal point. Shadows of the star, greater in size but with diminished brightness, gracefully fade out at the haunch. Other temples also give prominence to a beautiful, phenomenal dome, including the Boise Idaho, Apia Samoa, Brisbane Australia, Newport Beach California, Redlands California, Sacramento California, San Antonio Texas, Sao Paulo Brazil, Snowflake Arizona, Provo Utah, and St. Louis Missouri Temples.

Beyond their aesthetic value, many of the domes have a fourfold symbolic significance: (1) The dome’s rounded vault in the temple’s ceiling could be interpreted to signify heaven. Various designs, patterns, or lighting schemes in the intrados reinforce the idea that the dome is none other than a celestial vault; (2) Most domes, but not all, form a circle. For a circle as a symbol of eternity, see entry “Circle”; (3) The points where the rounded vault’s base encounter the square room below the dome may signify eternity coming into contact with the earth (see entry “Square”). Thus, this architectural representation (the dome and the room below) may represent the spot where heaven and earth meet, creating a visual that the temple serves as the meeting place between heaven and earth; (4) Many of the domes portray symbolic motifs within the rounded vault, such as trees, stars, various colors, or geometric designs.