The public will get its first glimpse next spring inside the new Mormon temple rising east of Interstate 15 in Payson.
The LDS Church announced Friday that free tours of the edifice will run every day, except Sundays, from April 24 through May 23.
Area youths will perform a cultural celebration June 6. The next day, LDS leaders will dedicate the temple in three sessions. Afterward, the building will be open only to Mormons with a "recommend," attesting to their adherence to LDS beliefs and practices.
Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints see temples as houses of God, where they take part in their religion's highest sacraments, including eternal marriage.
The new temple, located in southwest Payson, will serve approximately 22 LDS stakes from Spanish Fork to Nephi comprising about 78,000 members, according to a news release. It will be the 15th Mormon temple in Utah. Two more are scheduled for the Beehive State: the Provo City Center Temple is under construction (in the restored historic Provo Tabernacle), and the Cedar City Temple has been announced.
LDS Church President Thomas S. Monson announced the Payson Temple in January 2010.
On Friday, the global faith also set a May 17 dedication for its temple in Córdoba, Argentina.
Peggy Fletcher Stack
