Temples in Europe Articles
On 4 October 2008 The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announced that it will build a temple in Rome, Italy. The site will be on nearly fifteen acres located at 376 Via di Settebagni. This site is on the outskirts of the city in the picturesque countryside near a freeway exchange.
Originally, trenches were dug every 10 to 15 feet across the property, since construction could not continue if Roman ruins were discovered. Latter-day Saints in the area held a special fast in the hope that the site (which the Church purchased in the 1990’s) would be free of antiquities. No antiquities were discovered anywhere on the 15 acres, yet a Roman village was discovered just 100 yards beyond the property’s boundary.
The Rome Italy Temple will be the first temple in Italy and in the Mediterranean region. For years, Italian Saints have traveled the long distance to the Bern Switzerland Temple, which now serves more stakes and districts from Italy than from any other country. ... Read the rest of this article »
Ukraine is the second-largest country in Europe and is commonly referred to as the breadbasket, because of its many fertile farms. Eighty-percent of the 53 million Ukrainians are Orthodox Christians due to Christianity being introduced into the country in A.D. 988. After obtaining its independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, Ukraine is now a democratic nation and is enjoying a resurgence of culture and language.
The first Mormon missionaries arrived in the country of Ukraine in October 1990, and in June 1991 the Kiev Branch was formed. In September 1991, Elder Boyd K. Packer and Elder Dallin H. Oaks of the Mormon Church arrived to dedicate the land for the preaching of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. And finally, in October 1991, the missionary work officially began. During 1992, Mormon missionaries began preaching outside of Kiev; preaching in Donetsk, Gorlovka, and Khar’kov. In July 1993, the Ukraine Donetsk Mission was formed.
With the membership of the Mormon Church growing at... Read the rest of this article »
The London England Mormon Temple sits on 32 acres of lush countryside at Newchapel in Surrey, England. This rectangular edifice reaches 160 feet high. The exterior is adorned with white limestone and topped by a lead-coated copper spire and, since the end of 2008, a statue of the angel Moroni. Surrounding the Mormon temple are gardens, which compose two-thirds of the acreage. Oaks trees (which are listed with the British registry), spacious lawns, an ornamental pond and colorful rhododendrons and azaleas beautify the grounds of the temple throughout the year.
The area of the London Temple has a rich history. At the time of early Christianity Celts, Romans, Saxons, and Danes occupied the area; now, Sir Winston Churchill’s property adjoins the grounds of the Temple.
After the property was purchased for the building of the temple, President David O. McKay and Church architect Edward Anderson spent time deciding where to place the Temple. Land selected by President McKay “had been partially... Read the rest of this article »
The building of the Bern Switzerland Mormon temple was announced on July 1, 1952. With its completion, it became the ninth operating temple worldwide. The Bern temple was the first temple built outside of the United States and Canada, as well as being the first temple built in Europe.
The Bern temple, originally known as the Swiss temple, is also known for another first; it was the first temple to use a video presentation of the endowment ceremony. This was done because so many of the patrons of the Bern temple speak different languages. The films made it easier to meet the needs of those attending. Mormon history in the area is long and rich. The first mission was opened on November 24, 1850. The first Mormon missionary president was Thomas B. H. Stenhouse. It was in Switzerland in 1906 that Joseph F. Smith, who was the president of the Mormon Church at the time, made a prophecy that temples would be built in various countries of the world. At the time the prophecy was far from being... Read the rest of this article »
The building of the Copenhagen Denmark Mormon Temple was announced on March 17, 1999. On April 24, 1999 the site for the temple was dedicated and a groundbreaking ceremony was held. About 700 Mormons from the area were at the ceremony.
The Copenhagen Denmark Temple is a renovation of an existing building, the Priorvej Chapel. This chapel was built by Mormon members in 1931 and dedicated by Elder John A. Widtsoe, a member of the Twelve Apostles at the time. It was built in the Neo-classical style with columns in the front.
This building has had a long and interesting history. The day that the chapel was dedicated, June 14, was the eighty-first anniversary of the day that the first Mormon missionaries arrived in Denmark. During World War II, the chapel was used as a bomb shelter, and it luckily made it through the war with little damage. After World War II the chapel was remodeled to hold more classrooms for the growing membership. Compared with many other countries, growth of the Church... Read the rest of this article »
The decision to build a Mormon Temple in Helsinki, Finland was first announced in the April 2000 General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is the 124th operating temple for the Mormon Church and the third in the Nordic countries—Stockholm, Sweden, and Copenhagen, Denmark, being the other two.
Worthy members of the Church have been attending the Stockholm Sweden Temple to fulfill their obligations to the Lord and to bless their lives in attending the temple. Now, they are blessed to have a temple in their midst.
Church members attend the temple to learn more about the purpose of life and to strengthen their commitment to Jesus Christ. Christ’s teachings are reiterated through marriage, baptism, and other ordinances through which families can be united for eternity.
The site chosen for the new temple, and which was approved by the city, sits northwest of downtown Helsinki on 7.5 acres, in the city of Espoo, Finland. The angel Moroni statue, along... Read the rest of this article »
The building of a Mormon temple in The Hague, Netherlands, was announced on August 16, 1999. This is the first Mormon temple in the Netherlands and the 114th Mormon temple worldwide. The need for a temple in the area was obvious with more than 13,000 members in the proposed temple district. This temple serves members from the Netherlands, Belgium, and parts of France.
Mormon missionary Elder Orson Hyde, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, first entered the Netherlands in 1841. He stayed for a little more than a week preaching the gospel, but he had really been sent to go to Jerusalem. It was not until twenty years later in 1861 when the first Mormon missionaries were officially sent to the Netherlands. On October 1, 1861, near the village Broek bij Akkerwoude, the first converts to the Mormon Church in the Netherlands were baptized. People from the Netherlands joined the Mormon Church by the thousands; most emigrated to the United States to be in Utah near Church headquarters,... Read the rest of this article »
The Mormon temple is a house of God; we are God’s family and we are His children. The temple is a constant reminder that God intends the family to be eternal. The Mormon temple is a place of learning. Here the principles of the Gospel of Jesus Christ are reviewed and truths of the kingdom of God are taught. If those who enter the temple are in the right spirit and are attentive, the mind and spirit are enriched in gospel knowledge and wisdom. The Mormon temple is a place of peace wherein the cares and worries of the outside world can be put aside for a time. Promises are made by temple patrons to obey the laws of God, and promises are made by the Lord to those who attend, conditioned upon faithfulness.
The gifts and blessings of the Mormon temple are offered to all who conform to the requirements of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. All who accept and live the gospel and keep themselves worthy may partake of them. Mormon temple work must be done first by each person for himself; then it... Read the rest of this article »
Plans to build a Mormon temple in Freiberg, Germany, were announced on October 9, 1982. With the temple’s completion in 1985, it became the 33rd operating Mormon temple worldwide. The Freiberg temple was the only Mormon temple to be built in a Communist country. The German Democratic Republic government actually suggested the building of the temple for the Mormon members in the country, because the government wanted to reduce the amount of travel outside of its own country.
Mormon history in Germany goes back to 1840 when members of the Mormon Church began moving there. A small branch was set up in Darmstadt, but it was not until 1852 when the first Mormon missionaries arrived in Germany. They brought with them the Book of Mormon in German. In 1939 with the onset of World War II, missionaries were evacuated from Germany, and missionary work slowed. After the war, missionaries were only allowed to re-enter the Western part of Germany. It was not until March 1989 when Mormon missionaries... Read the rest of this article »
Mormon Temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are special buildings dedicated to the Lord. Worthy church members may go to the Mormon temple to receive sacred ordinances and make covenants with God. Like baptism, these ordinances and covenants are necessary for the salvation of man. They must be performed in the temples of the Lord.
The Mormon temple is a house of learning. It is a place where all can gain a better understanding of the purpose of life and the relationship we all share with God and His Son, Jesus Christ.
All the Mormon temple ordinances are performed by the power of the priesthood. Through this power, ordinances performed on earth are sealed, or bound, in heaven.1 Only in the temple can a family be sealed together eternally. Marriage in the temple joins a man and woman as husband and wife eternally, if they honor their covenants.
God wants all His children to return and live with Him. For those who died without hearing the Gospel of Jesus Christ, He... Read the rest of this article »
