Helsinki Temple Pictures

The pictures that follow were taken from Church websites. All pictures of temple interiors are taken by official Church photographers and owned by the Church. The designers did an amazing job of incorporating Scandanavian styles in the interior with both the building features and the furnishings. The style is one that was popular in Finland in the 1920's.

Helsinki Finland Temple

The exterior of the temple is made of polished Italian granite. The steeple features a 2 meter high statue of Moroni and is wrapped in copper. The dome at the back of the temple is also covered with copper. It is estimated it will take 20 years for the copper to turn green because the air is so clean. The temple is situated on a granite boulder. In fact, most of Finland is founded on granite. We've been having routine blasting sirens near our apartment as a construction company blasts away granite so they can build a new apartment building. Unfortunately, the granite is fractured badly so is not a good construction material.

Entry Way and Sitting Area

The materials in this area are Tennessee cherrywood, Finnish curly birch, and Jerusalem limestone. The British, who ruled Jerusalem from 1917 to 1948, mandated the use of local limestone, known as Jerusalem Stone, for all facades. Jersualem Stone is a pinkish-white color, and its hue changes througout the day as the light changes. Jerusalem is somtimes called the City of Gold because the Jerusalem Stone appears to be golden certain times of the day when the sun shines on it. This area is used by peopleto relax or to read scriptures as they wait for ordinance sessions to begin. The area has Bibles and triple combinations in Russian, Finnish, and English as well as some scriptures in Estonian, Latvian, and Lithuanian. There is no triple combination available in Russian as yet, so these were specially constructed and bound in white for the temple.

You can get some indication of the religious art that decorates the temple from this picture. There are many paintings in the hallways and dressing room areas. Some are copies of paintings by Walter Rane who sometimes paints pictures for Ensign covers and has had his paintings displayed at the LDS Museum of History and Art. I mention him specifically because his son is currently a missionary in the Helsinki Finland mission. I've also noticed some Minerva Teichert reproductions.

One interesting construction note: All the beautiful wood moldings on the walls were computer cut and are attached with industrial strength velcro.

Baptistry

The baptistry font is set upon the backs of 12 oxen just as the Molten Sea of the Old Testament was designed. The building materials that you see in this picture are dark Tennessee cherry, light Finnish curly birch, Jerusalem gold limestone, and green Italian (we think) limestone. It is here that baptisms are performed for deceased ancestors who did not have the opportunity to receive that ordinance during their lifetimes. The only Bible reference to this practice is found in 1 Corinthians 15:29. But you might be interested to read Hugh Nibley's article "Baptism for the Dead in Ancient Times" which is available at http://farms.byu.edu. Since that article was written many new sources have come to light about this practice in the early Christian church. They, of course, can be found by googling the topic. You can see part of the mural which depicts scriptural scenes from Christ's ministry.

Adjacent to the baptistry is a small laundry that is used to care for baptismal clothing and towels and other washable temple items. There is no rental clothing available at this temple. Everyone must purchase temple clothing at the distribution center. There is a small center with limited hours located in the patron house. First time purchasers are given generous discounts.

Endowment Room

The Helsinki temple is known as a small temple, having only two ordinance rooms. There are 40 seats in each room. The walls in the first room have a mural that was painted in the United States and then installed. The pictures have a few animals in them, including a bear, a fox, and a moose. Russians say the pictures remind them of Russia and Finns say they remind them of Finland. Sound like inspired artistry to me.

Bride's Room and Matron's Office

This is a multi-use room. When women come to the temple for the first time they prepare to participate in the ordinances in this room and receive preliminary instructions from a matron. It is also the room where children come prior to being sealed to their parents. In addition, it is used as a meeting place for women ordinance workers prior to beginning their shift, a study room for ordinance workers, and a waiting room for people before they participate in Endowment sessions.

The Celestial Room

The Celestial Room has three walls of art glass which you can see in this picture through sheer curtains. The design is reminiscent of Frank Lloyd Wright stained glass panels. The colors are predominately blues. Around the edge of the windows are thicker glass blocks alternating snowflake and flower designs. When the sun shines through at the right angle the snowflakes seem to sparkle. The wood furniture in the room I am told is a Saarinen design. It was custom made by a factory in Kuopio. There are additional pieces in the hallways. People are supremely reverent when they meditate here.