A Notre Dame Tour

The South Bend, Indiana Notre Dame University campus is only a few miles from where our son lives in Granger, Indiana.  I have only missed a few opportunities while there to visit this beautiful campus.

However, there was so much I had never seen.

While there in May, a dear sweet friend of my daughter-in-law, who happens to work on the campus, offered to give me a tour of a couple of the buildings.

And this is the picture result. 

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 Grotto

As I observed, there was a continuous flow of people coming here to light candles and pray.  I was told that during football weekends and finals, one might have difficulty finding a candle or room to kneel.

Tradition records that the Virgin Mary appeared to Saint Bernadette at a famed French shrine on 18 occasions in 1858.  Visiting the site on one of his many trips to his native country, Notre Dame founder Father Edward Sorin vowed to reproduce it on the campus of his new university. A gift from Rev. Thomas Carroll, a former theology student, made it possible in 1896. Boulders from surrounding farms, most weighing two tons or more, were used in its construction.

Some of these boulders can be seen on the top of the Grotto.

A small piece of stone from the original grotto in France is located on the right-hand side of the shrine directly below the statue of Mary. 

Basilica of the Sacred Heart

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An overview of the part of the campus I will be featuring - the Basilica to the left and the Main Building, center.

Construction on the present Basilica was begun in 1870 and the cornerstone was blessed in 1871.  The first mass was celebrated in 1875.

Built in the Gothic Revival style, it is in the form of a Latin cross, 275 feet long and 114 feet wide.

In 1686, Robert de la Salle explored this area around the shores of now St. Mary's Lake.

That same year, a mission was established on the shore of the lake and was the first to serve the local Potawatomi tribe as well as French trappers and settlers in the area.

In 1842, Fr. Edward Sorin and seven brothers were sent to Indiana and assumed pastoral duties here.  The small all-male school was founded on November 26, 1842.  He renamed the mission Notre Dame du Lac, and built a new chapel which served the community until 1848.

The tower of the Basilica contains a bass bell and possibly the oldest carillon in North America, consisting of 23 bells of two and one half octaves.

From 1988 through 1991, the church underwent a major restoration, and on January 17, 1992, Pope John Paul II designated the church a minor basilica.

The original baptismal font, built in 1871, was recently restored and moved to the entrance of the Basilica, just inside the front doors.

Upon entering the nave, I was overcome at its shear beauty and sense of reverance.  It's not a real large place but with the immense ceiling height and arches, it gives one the feeling of being much larger.

The gold ceiling marks the sanctuary of the Basilica and depicts the four evangelists Matthew, Mark, Luke and John as well as various Old Testament prophets.

From the painted murals, gold-leafed columns,

to the stained glass windows, the Basilica is awe inspiring.

 

"The Death of Joseph" painted by Vatican painter and artist in residence, Luigi Gregori, is one of 56 Gregori murals in the Basilica.

At the heart of the Basilica stands the magnificent Altar of Sacrifice.

Since the liturgical reform of the Second Vatican Council (1962-65), the priest must celebrate Mass in front of the people, so this new alter area was added.  After an extensive renovation of the basilica from 1988 to 1991, this new altar area was built in 1998, from pews and choir stalls of the Lady Chapel.

The gold Tabernacle Tower or Altar Piece, dates back to 1876 and is truly magnificent.

Someone wrote:  "God’s extravagant love for us inspires an extravagant response on our part. In His ministry, Jesus Himself encouraged such extravagance when it comes to one’s relationship with God." 

And truly, this altar evokes an extravagant response.

Behind this altar is the original altar and now considered a chapel - The Lady Chapel.

This chapel is more of a baroque design.  The dome painting reminded me of the Sistine Chapel.

The "Pieta"

We had the sweetest little man give us a mini guided tour.

In the east chapel is this huge solid Carara marble statue, "Pieta" by artist, Ivan Mestovic.

This is Mestrovic’s most dramatic sculpture on the Notre Dame campus. In 1955 it was brought to South Bend from New York City where it had been on exhibit since 1947 in the Metropolitan Museum of Art.  This was the  first one-man exhibition ever given to a living artist.

Mestrovic had begun the work in 1941 when imprisoned in his home land, Zagreb, Croatia, for refusing to cooperate with the fascist Croats, Italians and Germans who had taken control of his country. Five months later the Vatican negotiated his release and provided sanctuary for him and his family in Rome, where he completed two versions of the Pieta— this one in marble, the other in bronze is in the Vatican Art Museum.

Taking inspiration from Michelangelo’s Pieta, 1545 (Cathedral, Florence), Mestrovic, too, grouped the figures of Nicodemus, Mary Magdalene and the Mother Mary in a "pyramid of zigzags; but, the mood of the original’s quiet sorrow has been changed to one of deep, physical and psychological suffering."

He effectively accomplished this by focusing on sharp angles and by contrasting the pathos of the bare, limp body of the Christ,

with the fully robed, straining figures whose faces reflect intense anguish.



Mestrovic often included his own face in his works and here Nicodemus' face is that of the artist.

Mary Magdalene's face is that of the artist's wife.

Because the sculpture weights 7 tons, a whole wall had to be removed to get it inside the Basilica.  It has remained on loan since 1955.

I've always heard that the true artist's skill can be found in the details of the hands and feet.  I'll let you be the judge of this artist's work.

In the Relics Room is this mini bronze statue of "Peter" and many, many other interesting items collected for centuries.

The Organ

On the back wall of the Basilica is the new massive organ chamber and pipes.

An organ of “rare beauty, coherence and depth.”

The magnificent Paul Fritts and Company pipe organ was installed in 2016 and boasts 4 keyboards, 70 stops and 5,164 pipes.

It stands 40 feet high and weighs more than 20 tons.

We weren't able to hear it, but it is definitely on our list for a future visit.

If you are interested in seeing this amazing project unfold, click on the link below.

https://magazine.nd.edu/basilica-organ/

And this concludes my tour of the Basilica of the Sacred Heart on the Notre Dame Campus.

Tomorrow we will go inside the Main Building and the Golden Dome.

Continuation of Notre Dame Tour

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