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Temples facing east
Temples Facing East
Summary: There is an old bit of folklore in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints that all their temples face east. While that is true in the majority of cases, it is not always true. This is because there is no doctrinal reason for the entrance to face east. Temples ultimately face whichever way is most practical and artistically pleasing for the site they are on.
The front of the temple is the elevation where the phrase "House of the Lord" is found. So, for example, the "front" of the Provo temple faces east-northeast, since the temple is twenty degrees off a true east/west axis. The front of the Oakland Temple is the north elevation, and the front of the Los Angeles Temple is the southeast elevation. The Stockholm Temple faces due south, which, at such a northern latitude, would be the direction of the most light; its front is, therefore, the south elevation.
Nauvoo is an interesting case because the phrase appears on both the east and west elevations of the building. We know that the original Nauvoo temple had the phrase on its west elevation, but no photographic record or architectural drawings exist of the east elevation, so the design of the modern Nauvoo Temple's east elevation is guesswork. Thus, in the case of Nauvoo, you can take your pick on the west or the east elevation as the "front". Most people, however, would say that the west elevation is the front of the building, as there are no doors on the east elevation.
In summary, to find the "front" of a Latter-day Saint temple, you find the phrase "House of the Lord" on the building itself, not on a sign. The front of the building is whatever elevation that phrase is placed on. It is not always the east elevation. The angel Moroni statue has nothing to do with finding the temple's front. Temples are placed on the site in the manner that is most practical and artistically pleasing for that particular site. They can face in any direction.