Nauvoo Temple Window Necklace

The history of the Nauvoo Temple windows began with a specific vision that challenged the architectural norms of the 1840s. While the temple’s architect, William Weeks, argued that circular windows on the half-story violated professional design principles, Joseph Smith insisted on their inclusion. Smith explained that he had seen the building completed and illuminated in a vision, maintaining that the round windows were essential to the grand effect of the structure. This divine requirement eventually overrode conventional aesthetics, making the unique circular glass a defining characteristic of the building's exterior. Beyond their shape, the windows were deeply symbolic, featuring prominent inverted stars that have often been misunderstood by modern observers. In the context of the original construction, these stars represented the "Morning Star," a traditional Christian symbol for Jesus Christ. Together with the sunstones and moonstones carved into the temple's facade, the windows created a visual sermon based on the Book of Revelation. This arrangement depicted the Church as the "woman clothed with the sun," with the moon under her feet and a crown of stars upon her head, grounding the building's light in scripture. Although the original temple and its iconic windows were destroyed by fire and a tornado in the mid-19th century, their legacy was preserved through Weeks' architectural sketches and pioneer journals. This documentation proved vital during the 1999–2002 reconstruction of the temple. Modern artisans meticulously recreated the stained glass and the Morning Star motifs to match the original designs. Today, the rebuilt temple is once again illuminated at night, finally realizing the specific visual brilliance that was first envisioned nearly two centuries ago.