The number of temples without an angel Moroni statue will soon double

On Monday, May 25, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints released renderings for the Cobán Guatemala Temple and the Okinawa Japan Temple. Though the Pacific Ocean separates the two temples, both renderings have a commonality—neither temple will be topped with the angel Moroni statue. Though the temples will not be the first without the iconic statue, a growing number of temples do not feature an angel Moroni statue. Here are some interesting facts about temples without angel Moroni statues and a look at the current renderings for new temples.

11 Operating Temples Do Not Have an Angel Moroni Statue

Angel Moroni statues sit atop 157 of the 168 operating temples of the Church. Eleven temples do not have an angel Moroni statue:

• Cardston Alberta Temple
• Hamilton New Zealand Temple
• Kinshasa Democratic Republic of the Congo Temple
• Laie Hawaii Temple
• Logan Utah Temple
• Manti Utah Temple
• Mesa Arizona Temple
• Oakland California Temple
• Paris France Temple
• Port-au-Prince Haiti Temple
• St. George Utah Temple

► You may also like: 10 Things You May Not Know about the Angel Moroni Statue

Changes to the Angel Moroni Statue during Renovations

Not included in the list above is the Hong Kong China Temple, which will lose its angel Moroni statue as part of an extensive renovation, according to a rendering released by the Church. The temple is expected to reopen sometime in 2022.

Left: The Hong Kong China Temple from ChurchofJesusChrist.org | Right: A rendering of the Hong Kong China Temple from Intellectual Reserve, Inc.

Some temples have also had an angel Moroni statue added as part of a renovation. According to Church Newsroom, angel Moroni statues were added to several temples in the 2000s including the Freiberg Germany Temple (2001), the Ogden Utah Temple (2002), the Provo Utah Temple (2003), the São Paulo Brazil Temple (2003), the Tokyo Japan Temple (2004), the Bern Switzerland Temple (2005), and the London England Temple (2008). Also of note, the Idaho Falls Idaho Temple received an angel Moroni statue in 1983, nearly 40 years after its original dedication.

Recently, crews removed the angel Moroni statue from the Salt Lake Temple as part of its renovation. The statue will be preserved, refurbished, and later reinstalled, according to Church Newsroom.

More Renderings Released without Angel Moroni Statues

The Church has released exterior renderings of 30 new temples. Of the 30 renderings, 15 temple renderings do not feature an angel Moroni statue. This will bring the total number of temples without an angel Moroni statue to 27. The following renderings do not show an angel Moroni statue:

• Alabang Philippines Temple
• Auckland New Zealand Temple
• Bengaluru India Temple
• Brasília Brazil Temple
• Cobán Guatemala Temple
• Lima Peru Los Olivos Temple
• Mendoza Argentina Temple
• Moses Lake Washington Temple
• Okinawa Japan Temple
• Orem Utah Temple
• Phnom Penh Cambodia Temple
• Praia Cabo Verde Temple
• San Juan Puerto Rico Temple
• Tooele Valley Utah Temple
• Yigo Guam Temple

According to Church Newsroom, “occasionally building codes, possible cultural misconceptions, or architectural designs preclude the use of an angel Moroni statue.”

New Temple Renderings

Here is a look at the 30 new temple renderings currently released by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Renderings are listed in alphabetical order.