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Bern Switzerland Temple

Coordinates: 47°0′7.891200″N 7°27′29.67839″E / 47.00219200000°N 7.4582439972°E / 47.00219200000; 7.4582439972
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Bern Switzerland Temple
Map
Number9
DedicationSeptember 11, 1955, by David O. McKay
Site7 acres (2.8 ha)
Floor area35,546 sq ft (3,302.3 m2)
Height140 ft (43 m)
Official websiteNews & images
Church chronology

Idaho Falls Idaho Temple

Bern Switzerland Temple

Los Angeles California Temple
Additional information
AnnouncedJuly 1, 1952, by David O. McKay
GroundbreakingAugust 5, 1953, by David O. McKay
Open houseSeptember 9-10, 1955
October 8–17, 1992
RededicatedNovember 23, 1992, by Gordon B. Hinckley
Current presidentRaimondo Castellani (2008)
Designed byEdward O. Anderson
LocationMünchenbuchsee, Switzerland
Geographic coordinates47°0′7.891200″N 7°27′29.67839″E / 47.00219200000°N 7.4582439972°E / 47.00219200000; 7.4582439972
Exterior finishCream terra cotta
Temple designModern, single spire
Baptistries1
Ordinance rooms4 (Movie, stationary)
Sealing rooms7
Clothing rentalYes
NotesBern was the first temple to present the endowment using a movie, necessitated by the multiple languages required to support the members in Europe.
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The Bern Switzerland Temple (formerly the Swiss Temple) is a temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). Though the building is located in Münchenbuchsee, its postal address is assigned to the neighboring municipality of Zollikofen. It was the first LDS temple to be built in Europe and the first to be built outside of the United States and Canada.

The 7-acre (2.8 ha) lot was selected in July 1952 by LDS Church president David O. McKay and Samuel E. Bringhurst, then president of the Swiss-Austrian Mission. The architects were Edward O. Anderson and Wilhelm Zimmer. Groundbreaking and dedication of the lot were performed by David O. McKay on 5 August 1953. He dedicated the temple on 11 September 1955. The temple was known as the "Swiss Temple" until the current naming convention for temples was adopted in the late 1990s.

The Bern Switzerland temple has four ordinance rooms, seven sealing rooms, and a total floor area of 35,546 square feet (3,302.3 m2).

The presentation of the Endowment was particularly challenging in this temple, because it was the first international one, requiring many different languages for its attendants. It was solved by using a film, dubbed in all required languages. Gordon B. Hinckley supervised the initial making of this film and was the person responsible for transporting the film to Switzerland.[1] Since then all new temples have been equipped with recordings in lieu of live presentations by temple workers. Today, only the Manti Utah Temple and the Salt Lake Temple use live presentation instead of film.

After complete renewal of the interior, the temple was rededicated by Gordon B. Hinckley on 23 October 1992.

In connection with the fiftieth anniversary of its dedication, a 4 metres (13 ft) tall statue of the angel Moroni was erected on top of the tower on 7 September 2005.

The Bern Switzerland temple makes a cameo appearance in the Woodkid music videos for "Iron" and "Run Boy Run".

See also

Template:Wikipedia books

References

  1. ^ Dew, Sheri L. (1996), Go Forward with Faith: A Biography of Gordon B. Hinckley, Salt Lake City, Utah: Deseret Book, p. [page needed], ISBN 1573451657, OCLC 35364667

Template:List LDS Temple Europe