MILWAUKEE — After a $3 million renovation, the St. Joan of Arc Chapel on the campus of Marquette University reopened Tuesday night for mass.
The 600-year-old structure needed to be updated to withstand the cold Wisconsin winters. Work was done to the roof, temperature control, and security of the medieval structure.
The chapel actually had several lifetimes before it arrived here in Milwaukee in the 1960’s. It was built and opened in the 1400’s in the Village of Chasse, France. After hundreds of years there, in the 1920’s it fell into disrepair and was disassembled and taken to Long Island, New York. In the early 1960’s, the estate surrounding the chapel in New York was destroyed by fire, but the chapel wasn’t damaged. It was then that it was gifted to Marquette University and once again taken down piece by piece and moved by truck to Wisconsin.
Got a sneak peak inside the @MarquetteU St. Joan of Arc Chapel after the restoration efforts. Our live report from tonight’s mass at 10:00 on @tmj4 (DYK: this building has traveled thousands of miles and been disassembled and rebuilt 2x ?) pic.twitter.com/Y1OnjIezp3
— Tom Durian (@TMJ4Tom) December 1, 2021
In 1966 the chapel opened its doors on the campus of the Jesuit university and has been the heartbeat of the campus ever since.
“It’s not only the heartbeat, but it’s the jewel of the campus as well. This is a place where so many people come for prayer, for mass, for meditation, for tours, for wedding photos“ says Father Grant Garinger.
Final touches will be put on the garden in the months to come when the weather gets warmer. The chapel will also serve as the center of Maquette’s Christmas tree lighting on Wednesday, Dec. 1st.
