Port Vila Vanuatu Temple Wiki

Plans to construct the Santa Cruz Bolivia Temple by President Russell M. Nelson on October 4, 2020, at the 190th Semi-Annual General Conference.^[1]“Prophet Announces Six New Temples at October 2020 General Conference.” newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org, 4 Oct. 2020, newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/october-2020-general-conference-temples.

There is currently one dedicated temple in Bolivia, the Cochabamba Bolivia Temple. The Santa Cruz temple will be the second in the country.

On 19 May 2021 an official exterior rendering was released for the Port Vila Vanuatu Temple.^[3]”New Temple Site Locations Announced for Two Temples to Be Built in Oceania,” The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints News Release, 19 May 2021.

On April 8, 2023, Elder K. Brett Nattress — president of the Pacific Area — presided over the groundbreaking of the Port Vila Vanuatu Temple. Port Vila is an Oceanian city on the island of Efate and within the country of Vanuatu. Efate is currently in the Suva Fiji Temple district, meaning members have to travel 1,072 kilometers (479 nautical miles) east to attend the temple.

Dignitaries were in attendance at the ceremony, such as Vanuatu President His Excellency Nikenike Vurobaravu and his wife, Rima Vurobaravu, as well as the Honourable Prime Minister Altoi Ismael Kalsakau and his wife, Ellene Kalsakau.

During his remarks to the congregation, Elder Nattress talked about Joseph Smith’s First Vision and testified that Jesus Christ’s priesthood authority has been restored. In his dedicatory prayer on the site, Elder Nattress prayed for the Saints in Vanuatu: “May the transcendent beauty of the temple become a place of peace and spiritual strength for the local residents and for all who will come and visit here.”^[6]“Groundbreaking Event Marks Beginning of Construction of Port Vila Vanuatu Templ.” news-pacific.churchofjesuschrist.org, 10 Apr. 2023, news-pacific.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/groundbreaking-event-marks-beginning-of-construction-of-port-vila-vanuatu-temple.

A 1.62-acre site located at Blacksands Crossroads on the site of the Blacksands meetinghouse in Port Vila, Vanuatu, near the Port Vila International Airport has been chosen as the location for the temple. A meetinghouse and ancillary building will also be constructed. The ancillary building will house an arrival center, patron housing, and a distribution center.

Plans call for a single-story temple of approximately 10,000 square feet.