The Salt Lake Temple Recessed Windows
When Elder J. Golden Kimball said that every window of the Salt Lake Temple speaks of the things of God, he wasn't exaggerating. Even the recessed windows have their own symbolism.
Days after Brigham Young, 2nd President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, arrived in the Salt Lake Valley, he stood in a barren field and staked out the location of the temple. President Young said he wanted the Salt Lake Temple to be a monument of faith that would endure through the millennium. To accomplish this the temple builders used solid granite that was cut from a local canyon for the structure. The builders of the Salt Lake Temple also chose to recess the windows to emphasize the durability and stability of the temple walls, which are 9-feet-thick at the base.
The recessed windows contribute to the fortress-like appearance of the temple, which reinforces the symbolism of: 1. God being our fortress (Psalms 18:2); 2. the temple being our spiritual refuge; and 3. the protection from evil and temptation offered by the priesthood and by keeping the covenants made with God in the temple.
