A 500-year-old French chapel opens its doors — on the Marquette University campus

Fifty-one years ago this week, a 500-year-old piece of France opened its doors in downtown Milwaukee. 

Two years earlier, Marquette University announced that it had received an unusual gift: St. Joan of Arc Chapel, which had been built in the early 15th century in the French village of Chasse, southeast of Lyon. 

The chapel had a distinctive history. Reportedly, Joan of Arc prayed there before leading French soldiers into battle in 1429. The chapel, originally named for St. Martin de Seysseul, was purchased in 1927 by Gertrude Hill Gavin, daughter of American railroad magnate James J. Hill and transported from France to her estate on Long Island in New York. 

(In its online history of the chapel, Marquette notes that France instituted a ban on exporting such treasures soon afterward.)  

In 1962, Gavin's estate, including the chapel, was bought by Marc and Lillian Rotjman. Marc Rotjman, who had been president of Racine's J.I. Case until 1960, and his wife had given a $200,000 collection of Old Masters paintings to Marquette in 1958. 

In a front-page story announcing the donation of the chapel to Marquette, Marc Rotjman said he couldn't place a dollar value on the structure. 

"The chapel means far more to me than any donation I have ever made and transcends by far any monetary value," he told The Journal in the June 28, 1964, story.

The plan was for the 46-by-21-foot chapel — with its steep roof and spire, Gothic arches, 30 tons of stone and 18,000 terra cotta roof tiles — to be moved, piece by piece, from Long Island to the Marquette campus, where it would be rebuilt by hand. 

It also came with some extras. In addition to an altar from the early Gothic era, Gavin had added to the structure what was known as the Joan of Arc Stone. According to legend, the future saint once kissed the stone in prayer; ever since, the stone has been colder than the stones surrounding it.  

The shipping and rebuilding process started in July 1965, and took about 10 months to complete. Going in, Marquette officials admitted they didn't have a firm timetable for the project, to go up in the 600 block of N. 14th St. 

"We haven't done this frequently," James E. Bie, director of university relations, told The Journal in a July 11, 1965, story.

While work continued on reconstructing the chapel, Marquette finished work in the fall of 1965 on a mall and the installation of a 12th-century fountain, also a gift from the Rotjmans, in front of the chapel. 

There was one hitch in the proceedings — or, more accurately, one moment of vandalism. The Journal reported on May 12, 1966, that late the night before, two students, one from Marquette and another from the Milwaukee Institute of Technology, were seen hitting a statue of two cherubs outside the chapel, after they had knocked the head off a statue of a monk at the site.

The two students, who said they were trying to get trophies for their rooms, were fined $200 and placed on two years' probation.

Otherwise, considering the workers were rebuilding a 500-year-old structure making its second move in 75 years, the work went fairly smoothly. 

"At first, because of the complexity and detailed nature of the work, only a couple (of people) could work on it at one time," Roy H. Dirks, university designer and Marquette's point person on the reconstruction project, told The Journal in a preview story published May 23, 1966. "If any more would have shown up, they would have been working on top of each other." 

A few changes were added in the transition: The chapel's nave was lengthened, and space was created so the building can seat up to 60 people. Unlike during Joan of Arc's time, the chapel on Marquette's campus has electric heating. 

While a few of the chapel's components weren't original French issue, Dirks said, "we feel we have achieved a medieval feeling and atmosphere." 

The dedication of Joan of Arc Chapel on May 26, 1966, included a Mass celebrated by Marquette President John P. Raynor, an official blessing by Archbishop William E. Cousins, and a medieval-style pageant staged by the Marquette University Players, depicting the life of Joan of Arc. 

ABOUT THIS FEATURE

Each Wednesday, Our Back Pages dips into the Journal Sentinel archives, sharing photos and stories from the past that connect, reflect and sometimes contradict the Milwaukee we know today. 

Special thanks and kudos go to senior multimedia designer Bill Schulz for finding many of the gems in the Journal Sentinel photo archives.