Budapest, June 21, 2025 — With the ceremonial groundbreaking, construction of the Budapest Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has officially begun. On the 24,000-square-meter site located in Harsánylejtő, Óbuda, the Church will build a 1,600-square-meter temple and a 1,000-square-meter patron house. The first missionaries of the Church arrived in Hungary exactly 140 years ago.
In 1885, the first two Church missionaries arrived in Hungary. The Church is celebrating this 140th anniversary with the most significant milestone in its Hungarian history: the official commencement of the temple’s construction.
The Saturday morning ceremony was honored by the presence of Argentine Rubén V. Alliaud, President of the Church’s Central Europe Area, who oversees 37 countries, including Hungary. In his speech, he emphasized the importance of temples as places of faith, revelation, and sacred covenants.
“Temples stand as a testimony of our belief in the resurrection of Christ, who overcame death and enables eternal family bonds,” declared President Alliaud. “Each temple is truly the House of the Lord and symbolizes God’s profound love for humanity.”
Although the nearly 200-year-old Christian Church has more than 17.5 million members worldwide, it did not have a temple in Hungary until now. Hungarian members had many chapels to worship but had to travel to Germany to participate in eternal ordinances. Currently, in addition to the 197 temples in operation around the world, 185 temples are under construction or renovation. The Budapest Temple will be the 16th temple in Europe and will welcome members from 12 countries.
The construction — which will be fully financed by the Church without external support — is expected to take three years. The 24,000-square-meter site, purchased in 2023, will include the 1,600-square-meter temple building, a pilgrim house, and a parking facility. The Church places great importance on the protection of the natural environment, and the building will be surrounded by landscaped green areas. After the dedication, the well-maintained gardens will be open to the public for viewing.
“We are grateful for the warm welcome, especially from the Óbuda municipality, which has supported our project from the very beginning. We hope the Temple will not only be a spiritual home for our community but also one of Budapest’s treasures, contributing to the cultural and spiritual enrichment of the local community,” said Péter Borsos, President of the Church in Hungary.
“We communicate openly and transparently about our Church, our faith, and the construction of our Temple,” added Gábor Klinger, Communications Director. “We want people to learn more about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which is why we have created a dedicated and continuously updated website where important information is published for readers: https://www.jezuskrisztusegyhaza.org/templom.”
The Church engages in open dialogue and active community involvement worldwide, including in Hungary. Just last year, 25 charitable projects were completed in Hungary in cooperation with various foundations and aid organizations.
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