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Nuku'alofa Tonga Temple

{{Short description|An LDS Temple in Nuku'alofa, Tonga}}

{{ LDS Temple/Nuku'alofa Tonga Temple |format= Infobox LDS Temple }}

The Nuku'alofa Tonga Temple (formerly the Tongan Temple) is the 25th constructed and 23rd operating temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). It is located in the middle of Tonga's main island Tongatapu 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 Nuku{{okina}}alofa.

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 and the London England Temple. 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.{{cite news|title=Utah's People of Color; Significant Events in the Ethnic Communities of Utah|publisher=Salt Lake Tribune|date=27 December 1998|id={{ProQuest|288910311}}}} The temple was built on a {{convert|5|acre|m2|adj=on}} plot, has 2 ordinance rooms and 3 sealing rooms, and has a total floor area of {{convert|14572|sqft|m2}}.

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.{{citation |last= Weaver |first= Sara Jane |date= 2007-11-05 |title= LDS Tonga Temple rededicated |newspaper= Deseret Morning News |url= http://www.deseretnews.com/article/695224826/LDS-Tonga-Temple-rededicated.html |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120114114254/http://www.deseretnews.com/article/695224826/LDS-Tonga-Temple-rededicated.html |url-status= dead |archive-date= January 14, 2012 |accessdate= 2012-10-07 }}{{cite news|title=LDS church rededicates Tonga temple|agency=AP|publisher=Salt Lake Tribune|date=5 November 2007|id={{ProQuest|282193920}}}}

After he was released as president of Brigham Young University-Hawaii in 2007, Eric B. Shumway became the temple president.{{cite news|title=President of BYUH to take post in Tonga|publisher=Honolulu Star Bulletin|date=6 February 2007|id={{ProQuest|412403137}}}}

In 2020, the Nuku'alofa Tonga Temple was closed in response to the coronavirus pandemic.Stack, Peggy Fletcher. [https://www.sltrib.com/religion/2020/03/26/all-latter-day-saint/ "All Latter-day Saint temples to close due to coronavirus"], The Salt Lake Tribune, 26 March 2020. Retrieved on 28 March 2020.

See also

{{Portal|LDS Church}}

{{LDS Temple Map Oceania}}

References

{{reflist}}

External links

  • {{commons category-inline|Nuku alofa Tonga Temple}}
  • [https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/temples/details/nuku%27alofa-tonga-temple?lang=eng Nuku'alofa Tonga Temple Official site]
  • [https://churchofjesuschristtemples.org/nuku%27alofa-tonga-temple/ Nuku'alofa Tonga Temple] at ChurchofJesusChristTemples.org

{{LDS-Pacific|state=expanded}}

Category:20th-century Latter Day Saint temples

Category:Buildings and structures in Nukuʻalofa

Category:Religious buildings and structures in Tonga

Category:Temples (LDS Church) completed in 1983

Category:Temples (LDS Church) in Oceania

Category:The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Tonga

Category:1983 establishments in Tonga