Copenhagen Denmark Temple
The Copenhagen Denmark Temple is the 118th operating temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
The building of the Copenhagen Denmark 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 Latter-day Saints from the area attended the ceremony.
The Copenhagen Denmark Temple is a renovation of an existing building: the Priorvej Chapel. This chapel was built by members of the Church of Jesus Christ in 1931 and was dedicated by Elder John A. Widtsoe, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles at the time. It was built in the Neo-classical style with columns in the front.
The Copenhagen Temple has had a long and full history. The day that the chapel was dedicated, June 14, was the eighty-first anniversary of the day that the first Latter-day Saint missionaries arrived in Denmark. During World War II, the chapel was used as a bomb shelter, but it luckily made it through the war with little damage. After World War II the chapel was remodeled to provide more classrooms for the growing membership. Currently, Denmark has a Church membership of close to 4,500.
Many Latter-day Saints in the area feel a very strong connection to the chapel that has now become a temple. Ole Ravn-Petersen was baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ when he was 16. His baptism took place in the Priorvej Chapel and later, he baptized his father in the building. For Ole Ravn-Petersen having the building become a temple made the place even more special. Most of the renovation of the building was done on the inside. The Church wanted to keep the outside looking as it did originally.
From April 29 through May 15, 2004, an open house was held to let people see the inside of the temple. More than 25,000 people toured the temple during that time. The dedication of the temple was held on Sunday May 23, 2004. More than 4,000 members attended the four dedicatory services held throughout the day. Church President Gordon B. Hinckley gave the dedicatory prayer.
The Copenhagen Denmark Temple has a total of 25,000 square feet, two ordinance rooms, and two sealing rooms.
See also
External Links
- Official Copenhagen Denmark Temple page
- Copenhagen Denmark Temple page
- Copenhagen Denmark Temple dedicatory prayer
- Mormon Temple Worship - BBC Religion & Ethics
- Mormon Temples - Wikipedia
- Mormon Temples and Secrecy
- Mormon Missionary Work - Lightplanet
