A rendering of the Knoxville Tennessee Temple.The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
A map of the Knoxville Tennessee Temple site.The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
The location of the Knoxville Tennessee Temple site in relation to surrounding states.Screenshot from Google Maps
Groundbreaking of the Knoxville Tennessee Temple
The Knoxville Tennessee Temple groundbreaking ceremony was held Jan. 27, 2024, with Elder Shayne M. Bowen — a General Authority Seventy and first counselor in the North America Southeast Area presidency — presiding.
In his remarks to those in attendance, Elder Bowen said, “God is bringing His work to His people so that we can enter in and worship in the holy temple, receive the saving ordinances that will allow us to return home and live in His presence as families forever. There’s nothing better than that.”
Ground was broken for the Knoxville Tennessee Temple on Jan. 27, 2024. Elder Shayne M. Bowen — a General Authority Seventy and first counselor in the North America Southeast Area presidency — presided over the ceremony.
The Knoxville Tennessee Temple was announced by Church President Russell M. Nelson on April 3, 2022. The Church released a site location on Oct. 31, 2022, for a house of the Lord in Farragut, a suburb in the Knoxville metropolitan area. On Jan. 27, 2024, ground was broken for the temple, with Elder Shayne M. Bowen — first counselor in the North America Southeast Area presidency — presiding.
Architecture and Design of the Knoxville Tennessee Temple
According to site plans released by the Church on Oct. 31, 2022, the Knoxville Tennessee Temple will be a single-story building of approximately 30,000 square feet. The edifice will stand on a 4.99-acre site in the Knoxville suburb of Farragut.
Architectural renderings of the house of the Lord released by the Church on Dec. 19, 2022, show a grayish-white exterior surrounded by rectangular windows with windowpane-type borders. A domed, golden-hued cupola with a spire upon a golden orb stands above the center of the building. Trees, flower gardens and shrubs adorn the grounds.
Groundbreaking Photos of the Knoxville Tennessee Temple
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Elder Shayne M. Bowen, a General Authority Seventy and first counselor in the North America Southeast Area presidency, joins guests at the Knoxville Tennessee Temple groundbreaking ceremony on Saturday, Jan. 27, 2024. | The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
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Ceremonial shovels on display at the Knoxville Tennessee Temple groundbreaking ceremony in Knoxville, Tennessee, on Saturday, Jan. 27, 2024. | The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
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Elder Shayne M. Bowen, a General Authority Seventy and first counselor in the North America Southeast Area presidency, presided at the groundbreaking of the Knoxville Tennessee Temple on Saturday, Jan. 27, 2024. | The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
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Russell Barber conducts the groundbreaking ceremony for the Knoxville Tennessee Temple on Saturday, Jan. 27, 2024. | The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
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The Youth Choir from the Knoxville Tennessee Stake sings “This Is the Christ” at the groundbreaking ceremony for the Knoxville Tennessee Temple on Jan. 27, 2024. | The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
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Kaitlyn Adams, a youth speaker from the Knoxville Cumberland Tennessee Stake, addresses the congregation during the Knoxville Tennessee Temple groundbreaking ceremony, held on Jan. 27, 2024. | The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
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Wanas Martin, a member from the Cookeville Tennessee Stake, speaks to the congregation during the groundbreaking ceremony of the Knoxville Tennessee Temple on Jan. 27, 2024. | The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
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A local youth writes in his journal at the Knoxville Tennessee Temple groundbreaking ceremony, held Saturday, Jan. 27, 2024. | The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
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Gloria Smartt, a speaker from the Chattanooga Tennessee Stake, speaks to the congregation during the groundbreaking ceremony for the Knoxville Tennessee Temple on Jan. 27, 2024. | The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
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Logan Pickup, a youth speaker from the Kingsport Tennessee Stake, speaks to members of the congregation during the Knoxville Tennessee Temple groundbreaking ceremony on Jan. 27, 2024. | The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
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The Knoxville Tennessee Temple rendering, displayed at its groundbreaking ceremony on Saturday, Jan. 27, 2024. | The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
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Attendees at the Knoxville Tennessee Temple groundbreaking ceremony walk to the site in the rain on Saturday, Jan. 27, 2024. | The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Additional Facts
Fact #1
This will be the third Latter-day Saint temple in Tennessee.
Fact #2
The two other operating sacred edifices in the Volunteer State are in Nashville and Memphis.
The closest temple to Knoxville at the time of its announcement was the Atlanta Georgia Temple, a distance of approximately 140 miles away to the south. The suburb of Farragut, where the Knoxville Tennessee Temple will be constructed, is situated in hilly country between Blackoak Ridge to the north and the Tennessee River to the south.
Fact #5
The Farragut area was originally a stage coach station. The brick historic Campbell’s Station Inn still stands within sight of the Farragut Town Hall.
Fact #6
Tennessee gained its nickname, “the Volunteer State,” during the War of 1812. Historians estimated that when then-Tennessee Gov. Willie Blount called for 3,500 volunteers, some 28,000 Tennesseeans answered the call by the end of the war. Newspapers of the day touted “the Tennessee Volunteers.”
The closest temple to Knoxville at the time of its announcement was the Atlanta Georgia Temple, a distance of approximately 140 miles away to the south. The suburb of Farragut, where the Knoxville Tennessee Temple will be constructed, is situated in hilly country between Blackoak Ridge to the north and the Tennessee River to the south.
Fact #5
The Farragut area was originally a stage coach station. The brick historic Campbell’s Station Inn still stands within sight of the Farragut Town Hall.
Fact #6
Tennessee gained its nickname, “the Volunteer State,” during the War of 1812. Historians estimated that when then-Tennessee Gov. Willie Blount called for 3,500 volunteers, some 28,000 Tennesseeans answered the call by the end of the war. Newspapers of the day touted “the Tennessee Volunteers.”
