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Helsinki Finland Temple: Diamond
of the North,
Part 4
A Photographic Essay by Scot Facer
Proctor
Now you begin to see the temple in
a diffused light. The sun never showed his face again the entire
day.
The polished Italian granite is very
beautiful indeed. I asked a number of Finns if they were concerned
that the temple is not made with their native Finnish granite. They
all said, “Our granite is too dark. We love the Italian granite.”
The landscaping around the temple is
subtle and natural. I will show you more of that in an upcoming
photo essay.
With the unique spire, this temple
really does look Finnish. The clouds moved in and the rest of the
day was overcast. It didn’t seem to bother anyone.
I’m always interested in the
various angles of the temple, like this one at the northeast corner.
Even the color of the lead glass fits
well into the Finnish countryside. The whole temple is uniquely
and stunningly beautiful.
I loved the use of the large keystones
all around this temple. Seeing those keystones always reminds me
of what the Prophet Joseph said about the Book of Mormon: “I
told the brethren that the Book of Mormon was the most correct of
any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion, and a man would
get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other
book.” These keystones are like a mezuzah for me (a parchment
scroll inscribed on one side with certain Biblical passages and
on the other side with the word Shaddai—a name applied to
God). It is placed on the doorpost of a Jewish home so that those
passages of scripture and the name of God pass through the person’s
mind in their comings and goings.
From this northeast corner you can
see the tent or shelter built for the occasion of the cornerstone
ceremony in the lower right portion of the picture. Isn’t
the setting of the temple so very lovely?
The lead glass is beautiful all around
the temple. In an upcoming photo essay I will show you intimate
details of the glass. You will love it.
Here, from this northwest corner, you
get a sense of the setting of the temple on a small hill in the
midst of a beautiful forest.
Whether bathed in light or bathed in
rain, I love these inscriptions upon the temple walls.
The coverstone, as it is so commonly
called, was carefully and quickly finished and sealed the day of
dedication. We’ll give you some more pictures of the coverstone
or cornerstone ceremony in an upcoming essay.
I had to end this essay with one more
angle of the front entry of the temple. It reminds me of one of
my favorite passages of scripture from the Old Testament and one
which I have applied in my own faith many times. Jehoshaphat gathered
the people together at the temple and declared a fast. He then prayed
before the people and said, “O LORD God of our fathers, art
not thou God in heaven? And rulest not thou over all the kingdoms
of the heathen? And in thine hand is there not power and might,
so that none is able to withstand thee?” Then Jehoshaphat
continued with this powerful line, “If, when evil cometh upon
us, as the sword, judgment, or pestilence, or famine, we stand before
this house [the temple], and in thy presence, (for thy name is in
this house,) and cry unto thee in our affliction, then thou wilt
hear and help.” (See 2 Chronicles 20: 6-9) That makes me rejoice
to think that God will hear and help. This is my faith and my experience
and my testimony.
Click
here to go back to Part 1 of The Helsinki Finland Temple: Diamond
of the North.
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