Helsinki Finland Temple |
124th operating temple |
Phone Number: (358) 9-849-3710.
Site: 7.4 acres.
Exterior Finish: Light gray Italian granite and Finnish brown granite (stone walls surrounding temple).
Temple Design: Classic elegance, single-spire design.
Number of Rooms: Two ordinance rooms and two sealing rooms.
Total Floor Area: 16,350 square feet.
Groundbreaking and Site Dedication: 29 March 2003 by D. Lee Tobler
Public Open House: 21 September–7 October 2006
Dedication: 22 October 2006 by Gordon B. Hinckley
Rising above the trees along the highway to Turku stands the majestic Helsinki Finland Temple, located in the suburb of Espoo approximately 7 miles northwest of downtown Helsinki. Sharing the site is a patron housing building to accommodate the members of the vast temple district. The beautifully manicured grounds are open to visitors year round.
The Helsinki Finland Temple was the first temple built in Finland and the third built in Scandinavia, following the Stockholm Sweden Temple (1985) and Copenhagen Denmark Temple (2004).
On April 12, 2005, a 45-meter gleaming copper spire was installed atop the Helsinki Finland Temple, which was later antiqued to a dark brown.
The gold-leafed statue of the angel Moroni was added to the Helsinki Finland Temple on Thursday, October 13, 2005.
Though Church membership numbered only 4,500 in this Lutheran nation after 59 years of proselyting, response to the public open house of the Helsinki Finland Temple was staggering. Of the 55,633 total visitors, 5,711 submitted comment cards and 2,713 requested a Book of Mormon delivered by missionaries.
At the time of its dedication, the Helsinki Finland Temple assumed the distinction of serving the geographically largest temple district of the Church, which included Finland, the Baltic states, and all of Russia.
The Helsinki Finland Temple was the last temple dedicated by President Gordon B. Hinckley before his passing on Sunday, January 27, 2008. He had dedicated or rededicated 98 of the 124 operating temples of the Church.
