Angel Moroni Statues

Have you ever been curious about the Angel Moroni statue that is on most LDS temples? This iconic statue signifies the Angel mentioned in Revelation 14:6. The first Angel statue placed on an LDS temple was the Angel weather vane on the original Nauvoo Temple which was made in 1846 by an unknown artist. The Angel was in a horizontal position with a trumpet in one hand and an open book in the other hand.

The first Angel Moroni statue was sculpted by Cyrus Dallin for the Salt Lake Temple. It was molded in copper and covered with 22 KT gold, measuring 3.8 meters high. On April 6, 1892, the statue was placed on the temple one year before the temple was dedicated.

Several different sculptors made Angel Moroni statues with small variations. In the 1930s, Torlief Knaphus tried to create a replica of Cyrus Dallin’s statue. The castings of the statue by Torleif were not placed on an LDS temple until 1983 when they were placed on the Atlanta Georgia and the Idaho Falls Idaho Temples.

The third sculptor to make another version of this statue was Millard F Malin in the 1950s. He cast the statue in aluminum. It is 4.7 meters high. Moroni is blowing a trumpet with his right hand and holding the Gold Plates in his left hand. This version was first placed on the Los Angeles California Temple.

The fourth Angel Moroni was sculpted by Avard Fairbanks in 1974. It was sculpted into a one meter model and then sent to Italy. In Italy, the statue was enlarged, gilded and bronzed. This Angel Moroni was placed on the Washington DC, Jordan River Utah, Seattle Washington, and Mexico City Mexico Temples.

The fifth version was sculpted by Karl Quilter in 1978. His statues were only three meters and two meters high. They were made of fiberglass which were coated with gold leaf. It helped reduce the weight and cost of these statues. Quilter was then commissioned by the LDS church to create a new Angel Moroni that was similar. The new statue’s body was turned slightly to show action, was a more massive build, and had his left hand opened. This is the statue that is currently on over one hundred LDS temples.

The Angel Moroni statue has become a symbol of the LDS faith. There are a variety of products that allow you to carry this symbol with you or to make it a part of your home decor. Statues, pins, necklaces, and more can be found on LDS Bookstore. Display one of these statues in your home or wear Angel Moroni jewelry to remind you of your faith.