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21-492: The temple was designed by church architect Edward O. Anderson , and the plans were redrawn into German specifications by Wilhelm Zimmer. The temple’s architecture uses a modern-contemporary style. A groundbreaking ceremony, to signify the beginning of construction, was held on August 5, 1953. There have been church members in Switzerland since the mid-19th century; the church's first missionary entered Switzerland in 1850, with

42-754: A current temple recommend can enter for worship. Edward O. Anderson Edward Oliver Anderson (May 16, 1891 – August 9, 1977) was an American architect based in Salt Lake City, Utah . He was a church architect for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). Anderson began his education at Brigham Young High School in 1910, and then the University of Utah from 1914 to 1915. He left Utah to study architecture at Carnegie Tech from 1919 to 1922. While in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania , he worked as

63-517: A draftsman for architects Edward B. Lee and Alden & Harlow . In 1924 he returned to Utah and trained with Cannon & Fetzer and Pope & Burton before starting his own firm. From about 1928 to 1936, Anderson was part of the firm of Anderson and Young with Lorenzo Snow "Bing" Young . Their first major project was Kingsbury Hall at the University of Utah followed by the Granite Stake Tabernacle , both of which are listed on

84-667: A single spire design. He was connected also with the mid-20th century remodelings of the Salt Lake Temple , the Manti Utah Temple , and the St. George Utah Temple . Anderson was born in Richfield, Utah . While at the University of Utah, Anderson became friends with Millard F. Malin , who later became the artist that Anderson used for sculpting parts of the temples that he designed, including

105-454: The Manti Utah and Salt Lake temples used live presentations, but the church announced in 2021 that both temples would convert to use of film after extensive remodeling. In early 1990, the temple closed for renovations. After the complete renewal of the interior, the temple was rededicated by Hinckley, who was then a member of church's First Presidency , on 23 October 1992. In connection with

126-566: The LDS Church. During the 1950s, he continued designing for the church, but mainly focused on the design of temples . In the early 1950s, Anderson was asked by David O. McKay to design a smaller temple that could be used in areas with fewer Latter-day Saints than those where temples then existed. Shortly after Anderson began work on his design, plans were announced to build the Swiss Temple . As part of this project, Anderson designed and supervised

147-578: The Lord” and as a symbol of faith. The Bern Switzerland Temple in particular is one of “...the Church’s most visible and oldest structural manifestations of growth and dedication.” Over the years, the temple has undergone several renovations to preserve its structural integrity, update facilities, and enhance its spiritual and aesthetic appeal. The most significant renovation project commenced in 1990. Renovations focused on key areas, including expanding and modernizing

168-561: The U.S. National Register of Historic Places . He contributed to the design of many other civic buildings in Utah, being involved with the renovation of Salt Lake City Council Hall . Anderson was a member of the American Institute of Architects for most of his life and was the president of the Utah Chapter from 1935 to 1936. From 1943 to 1949, Anderson was the general church architect for

189-402: The angel Moroni on top. The temple includes a baptistry , a celestial room , four ordinance rooms, and seven sealing rooms, each arranged for ceremonial use. The design has elements representing Latter-day Saint symbolism, which provide deeper spiritual meaning to the temple's appearance and function. Symbolism is important to church members. The temple itself is a symbol, being a “house of

210-455: The building is located in Münchenbuchsee , its postal address is assigned to the neighboring municipality of Zollikofen . The building has a modern-contemporary architectural style coupled with a traditional Latter-day Saint temple design. Designed by Edward O. Anderson and Wilhelm Zimmer, the temple's architecture reflects both the cultural heritage of Bern and the spiritual significance to

231-408: The church. The temple sits on a 7-acre plot, and the landscaping around the temple features gardens, hedges, trees, and grass fields. These elements are designed to provide a tranquil setting that enhances the sacred atmosphere of the site. The structure stands 140 feet tall, constructed with reinforced concrete with gray terracotta trimmed in white. The exterior has a single spire with a statue of

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252-538: The construction of a one-twelfth scale model of a room where a film of the temple ordinances could be presented to overcome the fact that there would be patrons at the Swiss Temple speaking at least ten languages. Aside from the Swiss Temple, Anderson designed the Los Angeles California Temple , London England Temple , and Hamilton New Zealand Temple . Of the four temples that Anderson designed, all have

273-656: The encouragement of Lorenzo Snow of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles , who was attempting to establish a mission in Italy and surrounding countries. Snow visited Switzerland in February 1851 to dedicate the land for missionary work, and in March of 1851 the first Swiss converts were baptized. As of October 2024, there are over 9,000 church members in Switzerland. The 2.8-hectare (7-acre) lot

294-529: The fiftieth anniversary of its dedication, a 4-metre-tall (13 ft) statue of the angel Moroni was placed on top of the tower on 7 September 2005. In 2020, like all the church's other temples, the Bern Switzerland Temple was closed for a time in response to the coronavirus pandemic . The Bern Switzerland temple is featured briefly in the Woodkid music videos for "Iron" and "Run Boy Run" . Though

315-471: The temple. These changes were made to ensure the temple's compliance with contemporary building standards and to accommodate the evolving needs of church members. One of the notable aspects of the renovation was the addition of more ordinance rooms; the pre-existing single 250-seat auditorium was replaced by four 70-seat ordinance rooms. This enhancement meant that a new endowment session could begin every half hour instead of every two hours. The renovated temple

336-494: The temple’s 1990-1992 renovation period, another open house was held, from October 8-17, 1992. During that open house, almost 33,000 people toured the temple. The temple was rededicated from October 23-25, 1992, by Gordon B. Hinckley in 10 sessions. Like all the church's temples, it is not used for Sunday worship services. To members of the church, temples are regarded as sacred houses of the Lord. Once dedicated, only church members with

357-405: Was Samuel E. Bringhurst, with the matron being Lenora K. Bringhurst. They served from 1984 to 1987. As of 2024, Franz R. Gaag is the president, with Fabiola D. Gaag serving as matron. Following the completion of the temple, the church announced that a public open house would be held from September 9-10, 1955. The temple was dedicated by David O. McKay in 10 sessions from September 11-15, 1955. After

378-582: Was adopted in the late 1990s. The Bern Switzerland temple has four ordinance rooms , seven sealing rooms , and a total floor area of 3,302.3 square metres (35,546 sq ft). Its temple district includes stakes in France , Switzerland , and the district in Jerusalem , Israel . 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

399-414: Was rededicated in 10 sessions from October 23-25, 1992, by Gordon B. Hinckley. The church's temples are directed by a temple president and matron, each serving for a term of three years. The president and matron oversee the administration of temple operations and provide guidance and training for both temple patrons and staff. The first president of the Bern Switzerland Temple, serving from 1955 to 1957,

420-534: 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 McKay on 5 August 1953, who then dedicated the temple on 11 September 1955. The temple was known as the "Swiss Temple" until the current naming convention for temples

441-465: Was solved by using a film, dubbed in all required languages. Gordon B. Hinckley , as a church employee, supervised the initial making of the film and was the person responsible for transporting it to Switzerland. The Los Angeles California Temple , which was dedicated in 1956, was the last one designed for live endowments; since then all new temples have been equipped with recordings instead of live presentations by temple workers. For several decades, only

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