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134th temple dedicated
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Dedication of the Kyiv Ukraine Temple
On Sept. 12, 1991, gathered on a hillside overlooking Kyiv, Ukraine, Elder Boyd K. Packer and Elder Dallin H. Oaks of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles joined with 41 others to offer a prayer of blessing over Ukraine and dedicate the country for the preaching of the gospel.Referring to this event, Elder Packer later told the Church News, “We met near the top of a hill in the center of the city near the base of the statue of Prince Vladimir, who brought Christianity to what is now Ukraine 1,003 years earlier [in A.D. 988]. ... It is interesting that on that same day we stood near Prince Vladimir’s statue to offer a blessing on the land of Ukraine, the statues of Lenin, who was the image or symbol of communism, were being pulled down.”
Elder Packer, in his dedicatory prayer over the country, said, “We see the day when there will be scattered in the villages here and there a member and yet another member and then a gathering and then a branch and, in due time, stakes of Zion set firmly and permanently upon the fertile soil of the Ukraine. And in due time, the spires of temples will be seen across this great land.”
The dedication of the Kyiv Ukraine Temple almost 19 years later fulfilled that 1991 prophecy.
This house of the Lord was dedicated on Aug. 29, 2010, by Church President Thomas S. Monson — 16th President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
A local member of the Church said at the dedication ceremony, “To be closer to the temple makes it seem more real. There is a feeling that the Lord has come closer now that there is a house of the Lord in Ukraine.”
Dedicatory prayer excerpt: “May this house provide a spirit of peace to all who observe its majesty, and especially to those who enter for their own sacred ordinances and to perform the work for their loved ones beyond the veil. Let them feel of Thy divine love and mercy.”
Read the dedicatory prayer of the Kyiv Ukraine Temple here.
Timeline of the Kyiv Ukraine Temple
July
20
1998
Announced
The Kyiv Ukraine Temple was announced July 20, 1998, by the First Presidency, then consisting of Church President Gordon B. Hinckley and his counselors, President Thomas S. Monson and President James E. Faust.
June
23
2007
Groundbreaking
On June 23, 2007, the temple’s groundbreaking ceremony was presided over by Elder Paul B. Pieper of the Seventy, president of the Europe East Area.
August
07
2010
Open house
The Kyiv Ukraine Temple open house was held from Aug. 7, 2010, through Aug. 21, 2010. The city had been dealing with record-breaking heat, so some days the temperature reached 108 degrees Fahrenheit.
August
29
2010
Dedication
The Kyiv Ukraine Temple was dedicated during three sessions on Aug. 29, 2010, by President Thomas S. Monson, who became President of the Church in 2008. One group of Saints traveled across Ukraine, Poland and eastern Germany to get to the dedication, a 2,175-mile trip by bus that took two days and nights.
The Kyiv Ukraine Temple was announced July 20, 1998, by Church President Gordon B. Hinckley. Ground was broken for the house of the Lord on June 23, 2007, by Elder Paul B. Piper, president of the Europe East Area.
After an open house from April 7, 2010, to Aug. 21, 2010, the temple was dedicated during three sessions on Aug. 29, 2010, by Church President Thomas S. Monson.
After an open house from April 7, 2010, to Aug. 21, 2010, the temple was dedicated during three sessions on Aug. 29, 2010, by Church President Thomas S. Monson.
Architecture and Design of the Kyiv Ukraine Temple
The Kyiv temple is a 22,000-square-foot structure with a multilevel tower crowned with a gold-leafed statue of the angel Moroni. The exterior is made from Amarelo Macieira granite with quartzite crystals, which reflect sunlight, and the grounds are covered with grass, trees and flower gardens. Inside the building are two ordinance rooms, two sealing rooms, a celestial room and a baptistry.Quick Facts
Announced
20 July 1998
Dedicated
29 August 2010
Dedicated by
Current President and Matron
Location
1 Yabluneva St.
v. Sofiivs’ka Borshchagivka
Kyevo-Sviatoshyns’ky Rayon, Kyivs’ka Oblast, 08131
Ukraine
Appointments
View schedule and book online
(380) 44-371-4088
Additional Facts
Fact #1
This was the first Latter-day Saint temple in Ukraine, the first in Eastern Europe and the 11th to be dedicated in Europe.
Fact #2
This was the first temple built in what was the former Soviet Union.
Fact #3
Before the Kyiv Ukraine Temple was built, members in the area had to travel around 18 hours to the Freiberg Germany Temple.
Fact #4
The Kyiv temple is the first house of the Lord in Church history outside of the United States to be dedicated within 20 years of the Church being introduced into that country.
Fact #5
Plans for a temple in Ukraine were first announced in 1998, almost eight years after the first Latter-day Saint missionaries arrived in the country but 12 years before it would be officially built and dedicated. The Church faced issues with finding proper ground and receiving government approvals.
Additional Facts
Fact #1
This was the first Latter-day Saint temple in Ukraine, the first in Eastern Europe and the 11th to be dedicated in Europe.
Fact #2
This was the first temple built in what was the former Soviet Union.
Fact #3
Before the Kyiv Ukraine Temple was built, members in the area had to travel around 18 hours to the Freiberg Germany Temple.
Fact #4
The Kyiv temple is the first house of the Lord in Church history outside of the United States to be dedicated within 20 years of the Church being introduced into that country.
Fact #5
Plans for a temple in Ukraine were first announced in 1998, almost eight years after the first Latter-day Saint missionaries arrived in the country but 12 years before it would be officially built and dedicated. The Church faced issues with finding proper ground and receiving government approvals.