Oval

Several temples feature ovals, architecturally, both on interior and exterior designs. For example, various artistic and architectural patterns of the Rome Italy Temple reflect ancient Roman building styles and designs as well as Italian Renaissance culture and art; one prominent symbol—manifested in the temple’s magnificent domes, stained-glass windows, Perlato Svevo stone floors, ceilings, and the grand staircase—is the oval. The oval is reminiscent of Italy’s Piazza del Campidoglio (located near Rome’s Capitoline Hill), designed by the acclaimed Michelangelo (1475–1564). The oval represents eternity. As Elder David A. Bednar explained, “The oval reminds us that the Lord’s course is one eternal round, that His ways are endless.”233