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Missing: This Washington D.C. Temple mural. Here’s what happened to it.

John Scott’s prominent painting has been removed from the newly renovated Latter-day Saint temple and is being “refurbished.”

(The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) "The Last Judgment," by John Scott, used to hang in the Washington D.C. Temple. It has been removed to be refurbished.

Longtime patrons of the newly renovated and reopened (to the press and public) Washington D.C. Temple will no doubt notice changes.

A big one is artist John Scott’s large mural titled “The Last Judgment,” which prominently greeted them for decades, is missing.

Some may wonder what happened to it, especially given the drama surrounding The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ removal of murals from the iconic Salt Lake Temple and the Utah-based faith’s original plan to do the same with the treasured wall works by Minerva Teichert in the Manti Temple — before reversing course and opting to keep those in place.

It’s true, Scott’s work, after nearly 50 years on display, has been taken out of the D.C. temple.

“It will be refurbished,” church spokesperson Doug Andersen says, “and proper placement will be determined at a future time.”

Andersen explains that when a temple undergoes remodeling, “it is common for the vast majority of the artwork to be changed.”

“Since the Washington D.C. Temple was first opened in 1974,” he adds, “it was decided that much of the artwork, including paintings, should be refreshed, including John Scott’s beautiful work.”

The temple’s oval-shaped rotunda now features a similarly themed painting, Dan Wilson’s “His Return,” which depicts Jesus’ triumphal Second Coming accompanied by trumpeting angels.

(The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) Original artwork portraying the Savior’s return in his glory accompanied by heralding angels is the focus in the domed oval-shaped rotunda of the Washington D.C. Temple, April 2022.

A news release notes the newly spruced up edifice also includes these original pieces: “Great Falls, Potomac River” by Brad Aldridge; “Historic River in Waterford Virginia” and “Silent Reflections” by Frank Magleby; “He Healed Them All” by Michael Malm; “Reverie at Daybreak” by Adair Payne; “Supreme Teacher” and “An Answer Is Given” by Julie Rogers; and “Washington D.C. Temple” by Keith W. Wilcox.

(The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) The domed oval design of the Washington D.C. Temple rotunda features African anegre and maple hardwood and midcentury modern furnishings, April 2022.

(The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) The Washington D.C. Temple in Kensington, Md.