The geographical - and spiritual - heart of Salt Lake City is Temple Square , the world headquarters of the Mormon Church (or the Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints - LDS). Its focus, the monumental Temple itself, was completed in 1893 after forty years of intensive labor. The multispired granite edifice rises to 210ft above the city - it's not the tallest building on the mainly flat skyline but, thanks to its crisply angular silhouette, it's just about the only interesting one. Only confirmed Mormons may enter the Temple, and even they do so only for the most sacred LDS rituals - marriage, baptisms and "sealing," the joining of a family unit for eternity.

Wander through the gates of Temple Square, however, and you'll swiftly be snapped up by one of the many waiting Mormons, and shepherded to join a free 45-minute tour of the various sites within. As well as monuments to Mormon pioneers, you'll be ushered into the odd oblong shell of the Mormon Tabernacle . No images of any kind adorn its interior, which is home to the world-renowned Mormon Tabernacle Choir; a helper at the lectern laconically displays its remarkable acoustic properties by tearing up a newspaper and dropping a nail. There's free admission to the choir's 9.30am Sunday broadcast, and its rehearsals on Thursday evenings at 8pm.

The primary aim of the tours is to awaken your interest in the Mormon faith; differences from Christianity are played down in favor of a soft-focus video of Old Testament scenes. The tour ends in the northern of the Square's two visitor centers , where an array of touch-screen computers provide woolly answers to questions like "What is the purpose of life?" and "Who was Joseph Smith?" In the southern visitor center, a surprisingly good free movie tells the story of the arrival of Salt Lake City's first Mormon settlers.

Temple Square

• Temple Square

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