r In November when I photographed the moon behind the Moroni statue on the Payson Temple, I was reminded of the beautiful stained glass artwork that adorns the building. The 600mm lens that I was using brought in the temple tower windows like I had never seen them before. I want to share this picture with you and review some interesting facts about the temple’s stained glass windows.
The Payson Temple has 600 exterior and 600 interior stained glass windows that were designed and assembled by Holdman Studios of Lehi. This is the largest amount of art glass of any LDS temple to date. The Payson Temple art work features apple blossoms and leaves to illustrate the apple orchards the area is famous for. The art work follows a vine motif throughout the temple. The majority of the art glass is made up of two feet by two feet or two feet by six feet windows. Each window is made up of thousands of individual pieces, with many of them hand-painted with colored glass powder and heated to 1,200 degrees Fahrenheit to fuse the glass together. The individual pieces are soldered to hold the glass in place. Each window is a masterpiece in its own right.
Goldman Studios, located at Thanksgiving Point in Lehi, was the successful bidder for the Payson Temple windows. It was their 35th LDS temple project since the company was founded in 1988 by Tom Holdman. Tours of their art glass facility are available by prior arrangement for a $20 fee by calling 801-766-4111.
