The Nuku'alofa Tonga Temple (formerly the Tongan Temple) is the 25th constructed and 23rd operating

temple A temple (from the Latin ) is a building reserved for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. Religions which erect temples include Christianity (whose temples are typically called churches), Hinduism (whose temples ...

the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Christianity, Christian church that considers itself to be the Restorationism, restoration of the ...

(LDS Church). It is located in the middle of

Tonga Tonga (, ; ), officially the Kingdom of Tonga ( to, Puleʻanga Fakatuʻi ʻo Tonga), is a Polynesian country and archipelago. The country has 171 islands – of which 45 are inhabited. Its total surface area is about , scattered over in ...

's main island

Tongatapu Tongatapu is the main island of Tonga and the site of its capital, Nukualofa. It is located in Tonga's southern island group, to which it gives its name, and is the country's most populous island, with 74,611 residents (2016), 70.5% of the nation ...

near Matangiake. The area where the temple is located is commonly known as ''Liahona'', after the name of the church-owned high school there. The temple is several miles south of its namesake city, the capital Nukualofa. The temple is the only one in Tonga, and has a floor plan similar to other southern Pacific temples, including the Apia Samoa (rebuilt in 2005) and the Papeete Tahiti temples. It was built with a modern single-spire design, similar to the

Bern Switzerland Temple The Bern Switzerland Temple (formerly the Swiss Temple) is a temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), was the church's first temple built in Europe, and the first built outside of North America.Toone, Trent"The Bern ...

and the

London England Temple The London England Temple (formerly the London Temple) is the 12th operating temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) and is located in Newchapel, Surrey, England. Despite its name, it is not located within Londo ...

. Most of the construction work on the temple was done by labor missionaries from New Zealand and other South Pacific Islands.

History

The Nuku'alofa Tonga Temple was announced on 2 April 1980, and dedicated on 9 August 1983 by

Gordon B. Hinckley Gordon Bitner Hinckley (June 23, 1910 – January 27, 2008) was an American religious leader and author who served as the 15th President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) from March 1995 until his death in January 200 ...

. The temple was built on a plot, has 2 ordinance rooms and 3 sealing rooms, and has a total floor area of . The temple was closed for renovation in July 2006. After completion, an open house was held September 29 to October 20, 2007, and the temple was rededicated on November 4, 2007 by

Russell M. Nelson Russell Marion Nelson Sr. (born September 9, 1924) is an American religious leader and retired surgeon who is the 17th and current president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). Nelson was a member of the LDS Church ...

. After he was released as president of

Brigham Young University-Hawaii Brigham may refer to: Places * Brigham, Cumbria, England * Brigham, East Riding of Yorkshire, England * Brigham City, Utah, USA * Brigham, Wisconsin, USA * Brigham, Quebec, Canada People * Brigham (surname), including a list of people with t ...

in 2007,

Eric B. Shumway Eric B. Shumway (born 1939) was the president of Brigham Young University–Hawaii (BYU-Hawaii) from 1994 to 2007. After completing his service as university president, he served as president of the Nuku'alofa Tonga Temple of the Church of Jesus C ...

became the

temple president Temple president is a priesthood leadership position in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). A temple president's primary responsibility is to supervise the affairs of an LDS temple in both an administrative and spiritual ...

. In 2020, the Nuku'alofa Tonga Temple was closed in response to the

coronavirus pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identified ...

.Stack, Peggy Fletcher
"All Latter-day Saint temples to close due to coronavirus"
''

The Salt Lake Tribune ''The Salt Lake Tribune'' is a newspaper published in the city of Salt Lake City, Utah. The ''Tribune'' is owned by The Salt Lake Tribune, Inc., a non-profit corporation. The newspaper's motto is "Utah's Independent Voice Since 1871." History ...

'', 26 March 2020. Retrieved on 28 March 2020.

References

External links

*
Nuku'alofa Tonga Temple Official siteNuku'alofa Tonga Temple
at ChurchofJesusChristTemples.org {{LDS-Pacific, state=expanded 20th-century Latter Day Saint temples Buildings and structures in Nukuʻalofa Religious buildings and structures in Tonga Religious buildings and structures completed in 1983 Temples (LDS Church) in Oceania The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Tonga 1983 establishments in Tonga

History

See also

References

External links