Manhattan New York Temple

Here is a room-by-room introduction to typical temple rooms of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The Manhattan New York Temple will have rooms similar to these.

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Recommend desk in the temple entrance foyer: a dark wood desk beneath an arched painting of Jesus Christ, flanked by hanging lanterns

Recommend Desk

Members are greeted at this desk in the entrance foyer, where they present a small card called a recommend.

Once dedicated, entrance into the temple is reserved for members of the Church who have committed to live the gospel of Jesus Christ and are ready to participate in further sacred ordinances.

The recommend card is issued by their local church leader certifying that they are prepared to enter the temple.

Baptistry: a circular font of light blue water surrounded by gold railings, beneath a domed chandelier and a stained-glass window

Baptistry

In the temple, we are baptized on behalf of ancestors who may have died without that opportunity.

Jesus further taught that baptism is required to enter the kingdom of God. But what about people who die without being baptized?

Such ordinances—baptisms for the dead—extend the saving grace of Jesus Christ to all people. This service for others is offered in love—and because Latter-day Saints believe that life continues after death, they also believe that those who have died are aware of the ordinances and can choose whether to accept them.

Confirmation room: upholstered chairs beside a small wooden desk, beneath a framed painting of the baptism of Jesus

Confirmation Room

“And whoso having faith you shall confirm in my church, by the laying on of the hands, and I will bestow the gift of the Holy Ghost upon them.”

Doctrine and Covenants 33:15

Confirmation rooms are small, quiet spaces located near the temple baptistry.

In these rooms, church members act as proxies to confirm deceased individuals for the gift of the Holy Ghost, just as new members are confirmed after their own baptisms.

Painting of Moses laying his hands on the head of Aaron, who is seated, with priests in white robes looking on

Initiatory Room

The initiatory ordinances include being symbolically washed and anointed.

You will privately and individually receive what are called the initiatory ordinances.

These ordinances include special blessings regarding your divine heritage and potential.

When Moses washed and anointed Aaron and his sons with sacred oil, he set them apart to perform their special duties in the service of God.

See Exodus 40:12–13

Instruction room: rows of upholstered seats facing a large coastal landscape mural and a curtained wall, with an altar at the center

Instruction Room

Here we learn that our life on earth is part of an eternal journey that began before we were born. We also make sacred promises, called covenants.

These covenants include obeying God, following Jesus Christ, being morally pure, and dedicating their time and talents to the Lord’s service.

These commitments become guiding principles in their everyday lives. Honoring these sacred covenants brings greater peace, joy, and blessings in this life as they strive to return to live with God forever.

Celestial room: a bright white and gold room with a crystal chandelier, upholstered armchairs, and a sofa arranged around a table with flowers

Celestial Room

This room symbolizes the kingdom of God, where our families can live forever with our Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ.

At the conclusion of the Endowment ordinance, participants enter the celestial room.

There are no ceremonies performed in this room. Rather, it is a place of quiet peace, prayer, and reflection meant to symbolize heaven, where we may live forever with our family in the presence of our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.

Sealing room: a white altar at the center of a bright room with a crystal chandelier, stained-glass windows, and chairs along the walls

Sealing Room

God’s plan of happiness enables family relationships to endure beyond the grave. In the temple we can be married for time and eternity.

In a temple sealing room, a man and woman can kneel together at an altar to be married for eternity and not just this life.

Such marriages enable families to be together forever as husband and wife and as parents and children.

White marble Christus statue of the resurrected Jesus Christ with arms outstretched, before a mural and statues of the apostles

Christus Room

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

John 3:16

The Christus statue depicts the resurrected Jesus Christ with outstretched arms, gentle, welcoming eyes, and visible nail wounds in His hands and feet. The iconic figure offers a warm, forgiving embrace, inviting all people to come unto Him.

Meetinghouse chapel: rows of wooden pews facing a rostrum, with organ pipes above

Meetinghouse Chapel

Church members gather for Sunday service in chapels.

Today the sacrament is an ordinance in which Church members partake of bread and water in remembrance of Jesus Christ’s atoning sacrifice.

This ordinance is an essential part of worship and spiritual development. Through this ordinance, Church members renew the covenants they made with God when they were baptized.