Bern Switzerland Temple Wiki

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Description

The Bern Switzerland Temple (formerly the Swiss Temple) is the 9th operating temple. Though the building is located in Münchenbuchsee, its postal address is assigned to the neighboring municipality of Zollikofen. The temple site is seven acres just at the edge of a national forest. The capital city of Switzerland, Bern, is just south of the temple.

It was the first Latter-Day-Saint temple to be built in Europe and the first to be built outside of North America. It was the first temple to use a video presentation of the endowment ceremony. The patrons of the Bern Temple speak a variety of languages, using a film with separate switchable audio tracks made it easier to meet the needs of those attending.  Gordon B. Hinckley supervised the initial making of this film and was the person responsible for transporting the film to Switzerland.^[1]Sheri L. Dew, Go Forward with Faith: A Biography of Gordon B. Hinckley, Salt Lake City, Utah: Deseret Book, 1996, ISBN 1573451657, OCLC 35364667

The Bern Switzerland Temple serves 39,000 members in 10 stakes in Austria, France, Italy and Switzerland.

History

The first missionary to preach the gospel in Switzerland arrived there in 1850. Thomas B. H. Stenhouse taught the gospel in Geneva, which had been an important area for John Calvin and other religious reformers. Lorenzo Snow, who later became President of the Church, joined Stenhouse in Switzerland in 1851 and learned that a few people there were interested in the Mormon Church. Among the first people baptized were the members of the Ruben family, a shoemaker, a hospital worker, a minister, Stenhouse’s landlord, a newspaper publisher and an aristocrat. By 1852, there were a couple of small congregations in Switzerland.

In 1906, Joseph F. Smith, who was the president of the Church, was visiting Switzerland and prophesied that temples would be built in the various countries of the world. The prophecy was far from being fulfilled; as there were only four temples in operation at that time, and all of them were in Utah.

Many early Swiss converts immigrated to the United States. By the end of World War II focus had moved away from having the Church’s membership emigrate to Utah and had turned towards the focus of building up the Church where you already are. However there was also great emphasis being put on temple ordinances, and the only Temples in the world where in Utah, Hawaii, and Alberta Canada. Many members in Europe where still emigrating just to receive temple ordinances.

Church leaders felt it was important for Latter-day Saints outside of the United States to continue living in their native countries and help build the Church internationally. To help meet the needs of these members, the Church decided to build smaller temples throughout the world. These smaller temples also needed to provide instruction in non-English languages. President McKay asked future Church President Gordon B. Hinckley, who was working in the Church’s Missionary Department at the time, to find a way to deliver the temple instruction in eight languages. After much prayer, President Hinckley determined that the Church should create a film that could present the instruction. The Bern Switzerland Temple became the first temple to use this film.

On 17 April 1952 the decision was made to build a temple in Europe. The decision was made to look for a site in Switzerland.^[2]Richard O. Cowan, “The Pivitol Swiss Temple”, Regional Studies in Latter-day Saint Church History: Europe. Accessed 18 July 2017.

A site was located southwest of Bern, but obtaining this site where David O. McKay initially wanted to build the Temple was a difficult task. There were 30 heirs with claim to the desired property, and the Church entered into much negotiation, all in vain. In the end, the owners of the originally chosen site withdrew it from sale. The site where the temple now stands was found and purchased in a short amount of time, and it was then learned that a new highway would be built through a key portion of the originally selected site. A Successful purchase of the original intended sight would have resulted in ownership of soon to be forfeited property.^[3]Richard O. Cowan, “The Pivitol Swiss Temple”, Regional Studies in Latter-day Saint Church History: Europe. Accessed 18 July 2017. The new 2.8-hectare (7-acre) lot was selected on 1 July 1952 by LDS Church president David O. McKay and Samuel E. Bringhurst, then president of the Swiss-Austrian Mission.  

The Church chose to build its first European temple in Switzerland because the nation is located at the center of Europe, many different languages are spoken there, and it is a peaceful country.

Announcement

Groundbreaking

Construction

Construction for the temple began in earnest on 1 October of 1953.^[7]Richard O. Cowan, “The Pivitol Swiss Temple”, Regional Studies in Latter-day Saint Church History: Europe. Accessed 18 July 2017.

Cornerstone Ceremony

The Cornerstone for the Swiss Temple was placed on 13 November 1954. Stephen L. Richards of the First Presidency presided over the event, which was held on wooden benches inside the unfinished temple. After Elder Richards address the congregation moved outside as a copper box was sealed under the cornerstone.^[8]Richard O. Cowan, “The Pivitol Swiss Temple”, Regional Studies in Latter-day Saint Church History: Europe. Accessed 18 July 2017.

Open House

Dedication

Dedicatory Order

Renovation 1992

Commencement

A Remodel for the temple was commenced in 1990.  Originally the Temple contained one ordinance room capable of seating 250 people. After the remodel completed in 1992 , the temple contained instead four ordinance rooms capable of seating 75 each. This allowed smaller groups to be done for language specific sessions, and for multiple sessions to be run starting at 20-30 minute intervals instead of one session every 2-3 hours. Additionally the upper section of the temple was restructured to add a fourth floor, allowing for more sealing rooms to be added. In conjunction with this expansion, several feet were added to the back end of the upper section of the temple. The original Terra Cotta exterior was removed and replaced with a new lighter colored exterior. The old exterior appeared to be made of small bricks, and the new exterior has a pattern of larger tiles instead.

Open House

Rededication

50th Anniversary

Presidents

Temple President	Temple Matron	Years Served
Franz Rudolf Gaag	Fabiola Dallapozza Gaag	2023–2023
Louis Weidmann	Esther Margaret Lauener Weidmann	2020–2023
Pierre Marie Claude Brenders	Brigitte Brenders	2017–2020
Frederik Franz-Josef Psota	Berit Gunilla Sandholm Psota	2014–2017
Horst-Dieter Sperling	Helga Otzmann Sperling	2011–2014
Raimondo Castellani	Anita Maioli Castellani	2008–2011
Wayne Mitchell Hancock	Connie Ann Cameron Hancock	2005–2008
Roland Robert Dätwyler-Schmucki	Susanne Dätwyler-Schmucki	2002–2005
Gary Lynn Schwendiman	Marva Jorgensen Schwendiman	1999–2002
Georg Julius Birsfelder	Annaroesli Birsfelder	1996–1999
Mario Vittorio Vaira	Rosa Francesca Casazza Vaira	1993–1996
Louis Emil Ringger	Hilde Lore Sennhauser Ringger	1988–1993
Carl Walter Ringger	Elsa (Elsie) Kaelin-Graeser Ringger	1984–1988
Stanley Davis Rees	Helen Deon Gaddie Rees	1981–1984
Percy Kaspar Fetzer	Thelma Woolley Fetzer	1977–1981
Immo Luschin von Ebengreuth	Helmi Luschin von Ebengreuth	1972–1977
Charles Grob	Margaret Gretel Bauman Grob	1969–1972
Walter Trauffer	Hermine Susanna Gysler Trauffer	1957–1969
Samuel Enoch Bringhurst	Lenora Kemp Bringhurst	1955–1957

Details

Location

Exterior

Symbolism

Cornerstone

Spires and Finial

Interior

Rooms inside the temple include a baptistry; a celestial room, which symbolizes heaven on earth; instruction rooms; and sealing rooms, where marriages are performed.

Contractors

Architect

Wilhelm Zimmer of Bercher and Zimmer Architects was the local architect for the project. Zimmer was in charge of redrawing the plans to meet German specifications and locl regulations.

General Contractor

Other Contractor

Metalwork on the doors and font was done by Michael Jager.

Region

TEMPLES IN EUROPE _{by country}

Austria	1	Vienna
Belgium	1	Brussels
Denmark	1	Copenhagen
Finland	1	Helsinki
France	1	Paris
Germany	3	Frankfurt · Freiberg · Hamburg
Hungary	1	Budapest
Ireland	1	Dublin
Italy	2	Milan · Rome
Netherlands	1	The Hague
Norway	1	Oslo
Portugal	1	Lisbon
Russia	1	Russia
Spain	2	Barcelona · Madrid
Switzerland	1	Bern
Ukraine	1	Kyiv
United Kingdom	4	Birmingham · Edinburgh · London · Preston

Sources and Links