Perspective: What makes sacred space sacred?

An update was given over the weekend regarding the extensive and expansive restoration and retrofitting project on the iconic Salt Lake Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
The yearslong renovation has brought attention to the importance of sacred, historic buildings and the spaces they occupy in communities and cultures. Such buildings were built with sacrifice more than being built with very primitive construction tools, and were fashioned and fortified with faith more than with stones and timber.
With reports of progress and details of what has changed along with what will remain the same inside the Salt Lake Temple, the oft-cited and near-sighted cynics, critics and skeptics have weighed in from the far corners of social media. Those who seem to know better what is best for sacred places would do well to take the long view of the true essence of such sacred structures.
A trip to the Grand Shrine of Ise, a sacred place and space that draws millions of visitors each year, located in the Mie Prefecture of Japan would be a fabulous place to gain a different perspective. In a tradition dating back over 1,300 years, this Shinto Shrine is completely destroyed and demolished every twenty years and then entirely rebuilt.
Author Jenny Lau wrote of the awe and wonder that she felt during her visit to the sacred Ise Shrine: “The twenty-year renewal process, known as Shikinen Sengū, belief of tokowaka, or ‘everlasting youth.’ Is that an oxymoron? Not if you believe that ‘repeated rebuilding renders sanctuaries eternal.’”
Lau continued positing a compelling conundrum for those who question the sanity of such rebuilding and the experts who wring their hands over what is being done, undone and redone. “It is for you (the individual) to decide what is sacred: Is it the building itself, or is it the journey to complete it?”
It is also worth exploring the possibility that what is truly historic is not what is in the building, but rather, what is transformed within the individuals who choose to enter the building. I love history and historic places and artifacts that are infused with meaning. Renowned historian David McCullough once shared with me at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., that he viewed history not as places, or things or dates or events but, as a never ending and inexhaustible river of principles to explore. Truly what matters most about historic places is the principles found in such spaces and what they inspire us to remember or become.
The difference between an old building and a building that is historic is indeed what happened on the inside. Winston Churchill famously said, “We shape our buildings, and afterwards our buildings shape us.”
I have used this quote many times over the years, and not until recently did I come to understand the full context of his powerful statement. This wasn’t just one more quotable quip from the prolific Churchill. It was notable because he was referring to the rebuilding of the House of Commons that had been bombed regularly as a high-profile target during World War II.
The full quote from Churchill reads, “On the night of May 10, 1941, with one of the last bombs of the last serious raid, our House of Commons was destroyed by the violence of the enemy, and we have now to consider whether we should build it up again, and how, and when. We shape our buildings, and afterwards our buildings shape us. Having dwelt and served for more than forty years in the late Chamber, and having derived very great pleasure and advantage therefrom, I, naturally, should like to see it restored in all essentials to its old form, convenience and dignity.”
Churchill understood the power of preserving and restoring a building that was really the people’s house. He knew the rubble represented more than steel and concrete. The building was simply the vessel that held the echoes of critical debates, the vision of freedom, hope for the future and the very soul of the nation. Such buildings, places and spaces are merely vessels for such moments, such movements and such transformation to happen.
The announcement regarding the ongoing efforts to preserve and improve the Salt Lake Temple is likewise more than just an effort to ensure stone and steel, glass and grounds can be used for another 125 years. This building, in the heart of downtown Salt Lake City and the peaceful grounds that surround it, are actually part of centuries of human building, rebuilding and restoration projects to create sacred space. This pioneer era temple (and the various restorations and improvements from the 1890s to 2024) is about sacred spaces and holy places where followers of Jesus Christ, and people of every other faith, and even of no faith, can come and feel peace, experience hope and perhaps capture a vision of eternity for all of God’s children.
Quibbling over whether or not a certain room, molding, hallway, staircase, ceiling, mural or floor should be removed, replaced or restored is interesting and has its historical place to be sure. The ensuing debate then shifts to decisions about to which era should something be restored. Is it best to restore to the 1900s, 1800s or in the case of the Shinto Shrine, an era 1300 years ago. No earthly material is eternal and we would be wise to recognize the long-view of our structures and spaces and see them through the lens of why they are sacred and what is the essence of that sacredness.
For Christians the empty tomb is everything. While sites around Jerusalem seem plausible or possible as the tomb where Jesus’ body was laid – and if those sites had been painted, plastered, stripped back to the original — the essence is not if it is the right site or preserved in exactly the right way. The essence is that Jesus rose from a tomb.
The new House of Commons was not exactly where Churchill delivered speeches that saved the country and fueled the flame of freedom — the essence was that in the House of Commons Churchill gave voice to principles that preserved and transformed the world.
The Ise Shrine has come and gone every twenty years for 1,300 years. It matters little that it disappears for seasons of rebuilding and rebirth — the essence is that the rebuilding renders it eternal.
The Salt Lake Temple’s renewal and retrofit is likewise filled with challenges, opportunities and choices — the essence is that the structure is merely a vessel for the transformation within the lives of those who enter.
What applies to buildings also happens to apply to human beings. Sometimes when our character cracks or our relationships crumble or the foundation of our identity is unstable — we would prefer to just apply a figurative coat of fresh paint, a new piece of art or replace an old window in our lives. Such an approach may prove to be a very small and myopic view of what we are and what we can become under the care of a Master Builder. In the words of C.S. Lewis, “Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on; you knew that those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised. But presently He starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make any sense. What on earth is He up to? The explanation is that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of — throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were being made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace. He intends to come and live in it Himself.”
Perhaps we all would be wise to follow the examples and wisdom of those who have led and are leading the efforts of the Ise Shrine, the House of Commons and the Salt Lake Temple. There is a transformational power in the process and results that repeated rebuilding renders.
In a building and in a human – not everything can, or should be, saved or salvaged. Understanding what is interesting, what is important and what is essential ensures that what is sacred and what is transformational are preserved, strengthened and expanded forever. — Boyd Matheson is the host of KSL Newsadio’s Inside Sources. Previously, Matheson was the opinion editor and head of strategic reach at the Deseret News.