In the News
Follow Us
President Russell M. Nelson, 17th President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, announced the Oslo Norway Temple on April 4, 2021, during the Sunday afternoon session of April 2021 general conference. The announcement of a house of the Lord for Norway was among 20 temples announced worldwide.
The early history of the publication of the Book of Mormon is tied to early Church history in Norway. In 1850, the Book of Mormon was translated into Danish — the first language other than English. In 1851, because Danish and Norwegian languages share similarities, the Danish version of the Book of Mormon was used by the first missionaries into Norway. In July 1852, the first two congregations in this Scandinavian country were organized.
Some 70 years later, Elder John A. Widtsoe, a native of Norway, was called to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. The Book of Mormon was later published in Norwegian in July 1950.
Church President Russell M. Nelson announced a temple for Oslo, Norway, on April 4, 2021, during April 2021 general conference. It was one of 20 temples announced at the conference — and the first for Norway.
The Oslo Norway Temple was announced by Church President Russell M. Nelson on April 4, 2021. On May 1, 2023, the Church announced a site location for a house of the Lord in Hvalstad, near the outskirts of Oslo. Details about the temple’s groundbreaking have not yet been released.
According to site plans released by the Church on May 1, 2023, the Oslo Norway Temple will be a single-story building of approximately 10,800 square feet. The edifice will stand on an 8-acre site in Hvalstad, a small village some 12 miles from the center of Oslo. Construction plans include patron housing and arrival facilities.
Architectural renderings of the house of the Lord show an off-white exterior surrounded by rectangular windows. A four-tiered tower with a two-tiered spire stands above the center of the building. Trees, shrubs and flower gardens adorn the grounds.
This will be the first Latter-day Saint temple in Norway.
The Oslo Norway Temple will be the fourth house of the Lord in Scandinavia — with dedicated temples in Helsinki, Finland; Copenhagen, Denmark; and Stockholm, Sweden.
When this house of the Lord was announced, Norway had approximately 5,000 Latter-day Saints.
The closest temple to Oslo, Norway, is currently the Stockholm Sweden Temple, a distance of approximately 265 miles away.
The Oslo Norway Temple, when constructed, will become one of three northernmost sacred edifices on the European continent — joining the Stockholm Sweden and Helsinki Finland temples.
A house of the Lord for Norway was among 20 temples announced worldwide during the April 2021 general conference — the first time in Church history that such a large number of temples was announced in a single day.
This will be the first Latter-day Saint temple in Norway.
The Oslo Norway Temple will be the fourth house of the Lord in Scandinavia — with dedicated temples in Helsinki, Finland; Copenhagen, Denmark; and Stockholm, Sweden.
When this house of the Lord was announced, Norway had approximately 5,000 Latter-day Saints.
The closest temple to Oslo, Norway, is currently the Stockholm Sweden Temple, a distance of approximately 265 miles away.
The Oslo Norway Temple, when constructed, will become one of three northernmost sacred edifices on the European continent — joining the Stockholm Sweden and Helsinki Finland temples.
A house of the Lord for Norway was among 20 temples announced worldwide during the April 2021 general conference — the first time in Church history that such a large number of temples was announced in a single day.