The palace stands in front of the Sagato Soane Square (French for Saint John), not far from the Notre-Dame-de-l'Assomption cathedral, in the heart of the village of Mata-Utu.

Construction of the building began under the direction of French resident Jean-Joseph David and was completed during the reign of Amelia Tokagahau Aliki.

Indeed, in 1876, Bishop Pierre Bataillon convinced the customary authorities to have the palace built thanks to village chores.

[3] The aim of the palace was to:[4] To give the great chieftaincy of Wallis the appearance of Western-style royalty, so that the officers of the European navies would recognize the Lavelua [...] as heads of state capable of signing trade or alliance treaties.The work was entrusted to architect Charles Bonneval, who drew inspiration from Tongan architecture to build this royal residence.

[7] On two occasions, Lavelua Tomasi Kulimoetoke II opened the doors of the royal palace to relatives convicted by the French justice system, so that they could escape from the gendarmes: