Latter-day Saints to remove statue during restoration work
The 12½-foot-tall, Angel Moroni statue, which is hammered out of copper and overlaid with 22K gold leaf, will be removed from the Salt Lake Temple for repairs. It weighs approximately 3 tons. Image courtesy of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) – The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints plans to temporarily remove the Angel Moroni statue from its Salt Lake Temple during restoration work.
Workers at Temple Square in Salt Lake City installed a mobile crane Thursday, The Deseret News reports.
The work will include the removal of stones on temple spires that were displaced during a March 18 earthquake, church spokesman Daniel Woodruff said.
Workers will temporarily remove the Angel Moroni statue and additional stones from the east and west sides of the temple for preservation while the project is ongoing, Woodruff said.
The work is expected to last several weeks, he said.
The Angel Moroni statue on top of the temple lost its trumpet in the 5.7 magnitude earthquake that struck west of Salt Lake City last month.
There were no injuries reported when the trumpet fell and several smaller spire stones were displaced.
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AP-WF-04-02-20 2353GMT
