Mokuaikaua Church, located on the
"Big Island" of Hawaii, is the oldest Christian church in the
Hawaiian Islands
The Hawaiian Islands ( haw, Nā Mokupuni o Hawai‘i) are an archipelago of eight major islands, several atolls, and numerous smaller islets in the North Pacific Ocean, extending some from the island of Hawaii in the south to northernmost Kur ...
. The congregation dates to 1820 and the building was completed in 1837.
History
The congregation was first founded in 1820 by
Asa
ASA as an abbreviation or initialism may refer to:
Biology and medicine
* Accessible surface area of a biomolecule, accessible to a solvent
* Acetylsalicylic acid, aspirin
* Advanced surface ablation, refractive eye surgery
* Anterior spinal ar ...
and
Lucy Goodale Thurston
Lucy Goodale Thurston (October 29, 1795October 13, 1876) was a Protestant missionary and author. She was the wife of Asa Thurston and was one of the first American Christian missionaries to Hawaii. She is noted for her letters documenting her ...
, from the first ship of American Christian Missionaries, the brig ''Thaddeus''. They were given permission to teach Christianity by King
Kamehameha II
Kamehameha II (November 1797 – July 14, 1824) was the second king of the Kingdom of Hawaii. His birth name was Liholiho and full name was Kalaninui kua Liholiho i ke kapu ʻIolani. It was lengthened to Kalani Kaleiʻaimoku o Kaiwikapu o Laʻ ...
, and the Queen Regent
Kaahumanu. After the royal court relocated to
Honolulu
Honolulu (; ) is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, which is in the Pacific Ocean. It is an unincorporated county seat of the consolidated City and County of Honolulu, situated along the southeast coast of the island ...
, they briefly moved there. In October 1823, they learned that the people of Kailua-Kona had developed an interest in the new ways and had erected a small wooden church.
The first structure on the site was made from
Ohia wood and a thatched roof, on land obtained from
Royal Governor Kuakini across the street from his
Hulihee Palace
This is a non-exhaustive list of facial hairstyles.
Moustache styles
A moustache is defined as any facial hair grown specifically on the upper lip. There are many different types of moustache, but all differentiate between hair grown exclusivel ...
.
The name ''moku aikaua'' literally means "district acquired by war" in the
Hawaiian language
Hawaiian (', ) is a Polynesian language of the Austronesian language family that takes its name from Hawaii, the largest island in the tropical North Pacific archipelago where it developed. Hawaiian, along with English, is an official language o ...
, probably after the upland forest area where the wood was obtained.
After several fires, the present stone structure was constructed, partially from stones recycled from a nearby
Heiau
A ''heiau'' () is a Hawaiian temple. Made in different architectural styles depending upon their purpose and location, they range from simple earth terraces, to elaborately constructed stone platforms. There are heiau to treat the sick (''heia ...
(ancient temple of the
Hawaiian religion
Hawaiian religion refers to the indigenous religious beliefs and practices of native Hawaiians, also known as the kapu system. Hawaiian religion is based largely on the tapu religion common in Polynesia and likely originated among the Tahitian ...
), from about 1835 to 1837. The interior is decorated with
Koa wood.
Image:Kailua-Kona Circa 1883.jpg, The steeple has long been a landmark, c. 1883
Image:Mokuaikaua Church, ca. 1890.jpg, An upclose photograph of the Church in 1890, before the gate was built
Image:Mokuaikaua Church Kona 1900.jpg, The gate of the church built about 1900
Image:Mokuaikaua Church Gate.jpg, The gate of the church today
Today
The church continues to be in use and is open to the public for tours, with some artifacts on display, such as a scale model of the ''Thaddeus''. The other notable members of that first company were Rev. and Mrs.
Hiram Bingham I
Hiram Bingham, formally Hiram Bingham I (October 30, 1789 – November 11, 1869), was leader of the first group of American Protestant missionary, missionaries to introduce Christianity to the Hawaiian islands. Like most of the missionaries, he w ...
. The state historic place register lists it as site 10-28-7231 as of January 1978.
Historic Places in Hawaii County
on official state web site On October 3, 1978, it was added to the as site number 78001015.
See also
*List of the oldest churches in the United States
The designation of the oldest church in the United States requires careful use of definitions, and must be divided into two parts, the oldest in the sense of oldest surviving ''building'', and the oldest in the sense of oldest Christian church ...
References
External links
Official Mokuaikaua Congregational Church web site
*
{{Christianity in Hawaii
Churches on the National Register of Historic Places in Hawaii
Churches in Hawaii
Religious buildings and structures in Hawaii County, Hawaii
Historic American Buildings Survey in Hawaii
1820 establishments in Hawaii
Churches completed in 1837
National Register of Historic Places in Hawaii County, Hawaii
Kailua-Kona, Hawaii