Basilica of the Sacred Heart at Notre Dame: History, Architecture, and Art
The writer Robert Louis Stevenson noted that mankind was never so happily inspired as when it made a cathedral. One such happily inspired landmark stands in the center of campus at the University of Notre Dame, the Basilica of the Sacred Heart.
Ching explains, “The Basilica really has this unique combination of being quite grand and ornamented, with a tall ceiling and gold leaf, but at the same time, being a relatively intimate space. It's hard to forget the first time you walk in here, because it really is one of those breathless moments. There are not many places in the world that look like this. It’s a unique combination of grand and intimate.”
Considering the Basilica's soaring spire and elegant facade, it's hard to imagine that it began as a small, rustic cabin deep in the Hoosier wilderness. Father Stephen Badin, the first priest ever to be ordained in what would become the U.S., was a missionary in the late 1700s. Badin decided to build a small outpost along the banks of the Saint Joseph River, a humble yet hallowed respite for the farmers, fur traders, and Potawatomi tribal leaders who were navigating the rigors of frontier life.
The church would serve as a spiritual oasis for nearly 200 years, until Father Edward Sorin imagined that the cabin on the riverbank might also serve as the centerpiece for an entire community dedicated to nurturing religious virtue and higher education.
“That audacious and bold vision really allowed us to become the place we are today,” states Ching.
The Art of the Basilica: Frescoes, Stained Glass, and Sculpture
In 1871, under Father Sorin’s supervision, construction of the current church began.
“Over the course of a number of architects and influences between 1870 and 1888, the structure that we have today finally came about. If you look at the Basilica, it's not square. It's neo-Gothic in style. All the arches are pointed. All the spaces between columns are pretty narrow. All of that is very, very intentional because it's meant to give the person inside the space a false impression of height. Your eyes are immediately drawn to the ceiling, which represents the heavens,” Ching describes. “It helps us just remember and understand who we are before God and what the purpose of the space is, which is really to encounter God.”
In most European towns, large or small, the local church is the structure that is routinely the tallest, the stoutest, the most regal in appearance. It's no different here. The facade is constructed of limestone and brick sourced right from the Hoosier soil. The chimes that ring through the campus clouds emanate from the oldest carillon in North America. The bell tower stretches 230 feet high, the tallest university chapel in the U.S.
“Perhaps the most significant piece of art in the Basilica is actually a sculpture known as a pieta, which is the title for any depiction of the body of Jesus being taken down from the cross in the arms of the Blessed Mother. Ours happens to be sculpted by a sculptor named Ivan Mestrovic. He didn't want it to be seen as just an art piece, but something that really conveyed God's love and mercy and goodness to the people who were going to view it,” says Ching.
Ornate frescoes float high above the congregation. They are the work of Luigi Gregori, an Italian artist who once painted for the Vatican.
“Father Sorin convinced him to come to Notre Dame to be an artist in residence for a couple of years and he stayed much, much longer. He painted all of the ceiling here in the Basilica and the frescoes underneath the ceiling. The ceiling is full of angels and stars on the blue background to remind us of the kingdom of heaven,” Ching explains. “In the Basilica, if you think about the Basilica ceiling, which represents the heavens, of course all of us as human beings sit here in the pews on Earth, and the saints play a really special role in interceding between heaven and Earth, and thus they very literally occupy the space between the ceiling and the pews of the Basilica.”
19th-century stained glass windows were handcrafted in Europe, using more than 4,800 square feet of glass.
Ching states, “Our collection of windows, which are all made in a shop run by Carmelite nuns outside of the city of Le Mans in France, is the largest collection of this style of French stained glass. It really does sort of take your breath away.”
The Basilica Organ and Sacred Music Tradition
Providing a grand and harmonious presence to the church is an organ that features more than 5,100 pipes and stands more than 40 feet high.
Kola Owolabi, Professor of Organ at the University of Notre Dame, says, “This is an instrument by Paul Fritts. He is one of the eminent American organ builders building organs that are strongly influenced by historical buildings. The sound is just incredible. There are 70 different stops, so that's like having an orchestra with 70 different instruments. You have to know which ones play at a given time and how to use them together.”
“It's definitely super inspiring to get to sing here,” gushes Tori Garascia, a member of the Notre Dame Magnificat Choir. “It's such a special community here. They support the choir so much, and it makes this place really feel like home.”
Bobby Strickland, a member of the Notre Dame Community Choir, states, “I can't walk in without tearing up. And I found this place about six weeks after I lost the love of my life to Parkinson's disease. I came here grieving and empty. And this place and the choir just wrapped its arms around me and gave me a compass. I didn't even know if I could still sing. What's more, I didn't know if I could find my voice again. But this place literally gave me my voice back.”
This towering neo-Gothic treasure serves not only as a place of worship, but also as a tourist attraction that welcomes more than 100,000 visitors annually to South Bend and the university.
“People come here regularly from across the country to pray. The number of people we encounter who are just driving by I-80 and need a quick stop to stretch their legs and decide that this is a place to do that really is kind of significant,” Ching describes. “This really is just a place in the heart of campus where students can stop in and step out of the very busy chaos of their lives and find a moment of peace and transcendence.”
Concludes Ching, “The space has always been just very, very special to me. And now to be able to shepherd that space, it really is a privilege to serve in that way. To take the space I love so much and hold so dear, and really it's about trying to share with others as best as I can and making sure that everyone who comes to the Basilica finds in it a place that I found in it so long ago.”
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The above video is a clip from Journey Indiana from WTIU. You can watch more segments and full episodes at pbs.org/show/journey-indiana/
