In all the years of living in and now visiting Milwaukee, I had never visited this bona fide treasure at the center of the Marquette University campus—until a month ago. And “bona fide” (a 500-year-old Latin term meaning “good faith”) certainly fits this very special place.
The information on this page comes from two detailed tours I took, Marquette’s very nice “History of St Joan of Arc Chapel” page, and subsequent research I’ve done on this beautiful chapel that was built in 1420–or 369 years before Washington took his first presidential oath.
That’s right: Milwaukee is home to a 600-year-old gothic chapel—and it’s linked with St Joan of Arc. Still in pristine condition, it’s the oldest single building still used for its original purpose in the Western Hemisphere. Clearly it was not built in Milwaukee.
The tiny chapel was built in a small village south of Lyon; it served the village of Chasse for centuries before falling into disrepair after the French Revolution. It was discovered in the early 1920s by architect and historian Jacques Couëlle, who was so enthralled by the chapel that he called it “ce monument absolument unique en son genre” (the most absolutely unique monument of its kind).
Couëlle made detailed drawings of the structure, took numerous photographs (which was quite expensive to do 100 years ago), and even went as far as numbering and measuring every dimension of every stone. This became crucial in its reconstruction, because there is only one way—and only one sequence—in which all the stones can fit together. Studying the brilliant techniques of medieval design and construction has, in fact, led to numerous doctoral theses.
In 1926, Gertrude Hill Gavin, whose father (James J. Hill) founded the Great Northern Railway, learned about this unique chapel, which was known at the time as Chappelle de St Martin de Seyssuel. She purchased it and had it dismantled and rebuilt stone by stone on her property on Long Island.
Mrs. Gavin had previously purchased an entire Renaissance-era chateau and had it shipped from France, so the chapel made a nice addition to her property. Shortly afterward, France forever banned exporting such treasures.
Mrs. Gavin was also a serious devotee of St Joan of Arc, and she surely noticed some coincidences involving the chapel and her heroine. Not only was Joan of Arc a little girl when the chapel was built, but she was canonized in 1920, exactly 500 years after the chapel’s creation. So, Gavin renamed the chapel in honor of the recently named saint. Gavin also asked for permission to hold masses in the building. In 1933, Pope Pius XI gave her written permission to do so, and the letter still hangs in the chapel today.
The original stained glass was long gone, so Gavin, who had essentially unlimited financial resources, hired the nation’s greatest medieval French stained glass expert (Charles Connick, creator of most of the windows in New York’s Cathedral of St John the Divine) to design four new windows for the oratory. Using centuries-old craftsman techniques, the stained glass (seen a couple pictures above) was carefully set into the original stone mullions and traceries.
Gavin adorned the altar-less chapel with an impressive 13th-century Gothic altar. Some other additions to the chapel include a stunningly detailed 14th-century tiny sculpture, 18th-century French vestments (Catholic liturgical garments), old tapestries in near-perfect condition, centuries-old benches constructed with no nails (that are used regularly and continue to look like new), and a life-size statue of Joan of Arc.
But the addition bearing the most legend is undoubtedly the “Joan of Arc Stone” that lies at the base of a wall niche, clearly visible behind the altar. Backed by an official French endorsement of authenticity, Joan of Arc is believed to have prayed upon and kissed this stone before going into battle. Tour guides love to point out that the Joan of Arc Stone is always colder to the touch than the surrounding stones.
After Gertrude and Michael Gavin died in 1961, the entire estate, including the French chateau and the St Joan of Arc Chapel to which it was now attached, was sold to Marc and Lillian Rojtman. Just days before the Rojtmans were to move in, a fire destroyed the entire property—except the chapel, which entirely escaped damage (miraculously, as the saying goes).
Seeking a new home for the chapel, the Rojtmans wrote to a former president of Marquette University and offered it as a gift to the school, adding that this gift meant more to them then any of their financial gifts to Marquette.
Marquette accepted the gift, and a careful, nearly year-long process of deconstructing, moving and rebuilding the chapel began. The school also added a longer nave, radiant floor heating and electricity, so that regular services could comfortably be held.
The stitching is so tight that in some garments, animal patterns were discretely woven in and can only be viewed, albeit very subtly, from certain angles.
In 1966, St Joan of Arc Chapel was officially unveiled at the center of campus, and it is used for services and free public tours every day of the year, outside of campus holidays. In addition to serving as a community resource for candlelit vigils, political protests and more. The 10 p.m. services Monday through Thursday are impressively well attended.
The chapel is the heart of the Jesuit community of Marquette, but it also hosts quite a few interfaith services (Jewish, Islamic and Christian) throughout the year. I hope that more people in Milwaukee and far beyond learn about what a special, welcoming place St Joan of Arc Chapel is.
Additional pictures, including Marquette’s classic spires
Below are more pictures of the chapel, as well as of Marquette University’s French Gothic Revival-inspired architecture. Marquette University is named after “Père Marquette” (Father Jacques Marquette). Marquette and fellow Frenchman Louis Joliet were the first Europeans to visit what is now Milwaukee. They were also the first people to map the northern sections of the Mississippi River.
Probably few people outside the Marquette are community are aware of its indoor inlaid prayer labyrinth, whose 11-circuit, rosette-centered design was inspired by a nearly 1000-year-old labyrinth inside the Cathedral of Chartres in France.
In essence, the oldest building in the Western Hemisphere…That’s just so amazing. Great piece, Mr. Davis!!!
John F. Jansen, Milwaukee, Wis.
Thanks, John!! 🙂 Yeah, I actually did a LOT of research on that highly surprising fact; I had heard and read many claims about the chapel being the oldest this or that. But I’m now confident that this post states the *exact* record held by St Joan of Arc Chapel.
It was a long, interesting journey down many rabbit holes trying to find out which building was oldest and by which category, along with narrowing down to structures that were fully intact, in continuous use, still used as they originally were, in which country, etc. I now know about more old churches, homes and pueblos in the Americas that I’ll ever need to. It’s also confirmed my interest in visiting St Augustine and Puerto Rico. 🙂
St Joan of Arc Chapel clearly predates by centuries anything ever built in the 13 Colonies or in the newly formed United States. New Mexico has two continuously inhabited communities (Taos Pueblo and Acoma Pueblo) that pre-date St Joan of Arc Chapel, but they’re collections of homes, rather than a single building.
There’s technically just one older building in the U.S.: the St Bernard de Clarivaux Church in North Miami Beach, Florida; it dates from the 12th century. But it’s really a cloister (an open arcade), and parts of the original structure were sold when the owners faced financial difficulties. It’s also not being used for its original monastic purpose. So, long story short, that’s why I went with the awkward title of “oldest single building still used for its original purpose.” 🙂
Marquette and Milwaukee should be very proud of maintaining the true treasure that is St Joan of Arc Chapel. It welcomes all and continues to humble and teach all who visit!
Fascinating! Thanks for the great story well told.
OMG, thanks so much, Laura! What a wonderful surprise to hear from you! This would almost be like hearing from Magic Johnson when I was a kid. 🙂 For many years, I’ve been a huge fan of your numerous books on beautiful, hilly, often overlooked places to hike in the city of Portland–especially our gorgeous network of public stairways. Your latest, Walking with Ramona, is so cute–and talk about “fostering” community!
OK, for those whom I’ve already lost with my rambling fandom, I’ll simply say this: Anyone wishing to experience Portland (or exercise outdoors) in an entirely new way would be incredibly well served by going to https://lauraofoster.com. You’ll also learn about some amazing features that make cities in Cascadia so very special and unique. I’ve been secretly hoping, Laura, that you’ll one day create a “Seattle Hill Walks” or “Seattle Stairs” book, as well. 🙂
I normally don’t announce my upcoming posts, but it’s so great to hear from someone whose books I just love! And your comment happens to be doubly coincidental, because for weeks I’ve been working on a couple posts that will feature Portland’s beautiful public stairways–but with an unusual twist that I think people will really enjoy! 🙂 OK, now that I’ve submitted this comment, I’m going to have to commit to finishing the project. 🙂
Absolutely stunning! Adding this one to my “must see in person” list.
That’s so great to hear, Lorraine!! Be sure to get a personal tour from one of the great folks who can always be found working in the tiny alcove/office attached to the chapel. They provided a lot of the information that’s on this page, and they’re always happy to show people the centuries-old vestments whose detail is almost impossible to believe. It’ll also make you realize how *short* the priests were back then! 🙂
This chapel was dismantled twice?! Rebuilt twice?
Also, inspired me to check it out. Thank You, Mr. Davis!
It’s true, Cherrie! It was fully dismantled and then rebuilt TWICE! It was an unbelievable accomplishment. And it’s really almost miraculous how the chapel was so fortunate to have the exact owners it did! First, a woman who inherited virtually unlimited funds (and who was a massive fan of St Joan of Arc) happened to buy it and then paid whatever was necessary to have it shipped, dismantled and rebuilt perfectly. And she enhanced with the period-perfect stained glass!
Then it was given not to some random individual but to Marquette, a nationally renowned Jesuit school. And they faithfully (so to speak!) repeated the process perfectly and even made very a sensitive, respectful addition so that it could be used for masses, gatherings and celebrations. It really couldn’t have possibly turned out better! Milwaukee has a REAL treasure in the center of Marquette’s campus. 🙂
Just curious — why did you call this an “Interfaith Treasure” when it is a Catholic chapel on a Catholic, Jesuit university campus? What is “Interfaith” about it? Great history, by the way!
That’s a great question, HistoryLover! And thanks for reading and commenting! That title came to me much later, after I did more research and found out that although St Joan of Arc Chapel is definitely a Catholic chapel sitting in the middle of a major Jesuit university, the chapel has been very welcoming to people of all faiths. I loved reading about the Marquette community’s outreach to and support of people with other belief systems.
So, since this blog focuses on “places for everyone” (in which everyone is made to feel welcome), I thought it would make a perfect title! I did worry about it, though, due to exactly what you were thinking. I hope that the title of the post is OK and not confusing or offensive to the wonderful people at Marquette who do such a beautiful job maintaining this very special spiritual place! It seemed to resonate for me after I had written the post.