Log Chapel (University of Notre Dame)

Log Chapel
Log Chapel, Notre Dame
Alternative names	Fr. Badin's Chapel
General information
Status	Used as a chapel and museum
Type	Religious Chapel
Architectural style	Log cabin
Town or city	Notre Dame, Indiana
Country	United States
Current tenants	University of Notre Dame
Construction started	1831
Completed	1831
Renovated	1906
Owner	Congregation of Holy Cross
Design and construction
Architect(s)	Stephen Badin
Log Chapel U.S. Historic district Contributing property Location Notre Dame, Indiana Coordinates 41°42′05″N 86°14′33″W Built 1906[1] Architect William Arnett[1] Architectural style Log cabin Part of University of Notre Dame: Main and South Quadrangles (ID78000053) Added to NRHP May 23, 1978

The Log Chapel was originally built in 1831 by Rev. Fr. Stephen Badin as a mission to the Potawatomi Indians in what would become northern Indiana. It was one of the first Catholic places of worship in Northern Indiana. It was given in 1842 to Fr. Edward Sorin, and it became the original nucleus of the University of Notre Dame.^[2]

When Sorin arrived on campus, the Log Chapel was the main structure standing. It was a 44 by 24 feet log cabin that served as chapel and priest residence. The small structures were also present on site: a small clapboard cabin that housed the Indian interpreter and his family, and a 8 by 6 feet shed. One of the first things that Sorin did was build a second log cabin, which was dedicated on March 19, 1843, slightly to the east of Badin's chapel and about the same size. As the community grew, Badin's Log Chapel was converted into a carpenter's shop on the first floor and a residence for the Holy Cross Brothers on the second, while Sorin's second cabin housed the chapel on the first floor and a residence for the Holy Cross sisters on the second floor.^[3]

The original Log Chapel was destroyed in 1856 by a fire, and an identical replica was built in the same spot in 1906.^[4][5]

Log Chapel, side

In 1973 it was added to the National Register of Historic Places.^[6]

In February 1987, Fr. Theodore Hesburgh decided to move the burials of Fr. Louis DeSeille, Fr. Benjamin Petit, and Fr. Francis Cointet, from the Basilica crypt to the Log Chapel, where Fr. Badin was buried. All three priests had been buried under the original Chapel before Fr. Sorin moved them to the crypt.^[7]

References

1. "Official Building Inventory" (PDF). Facilities Design and Operations. University of Notre Dame. October 1, 2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 4, 2016. Retrieved November 8, 2015.
2. "Log Chapel // Campus Tour // University of Notre Dame". tour.nd.edu. Retrieved August 27, 2018.
3. BLANTZ, THOMAS E. (August 31, 2020). The University of Notre Dame. University of Notre Dame Press. pp. 31–33. doi:10.2307/j.ctv19m61kd. ISBN 978-0-268-10824-3.
4. "The Spirit of Notre Dame". www3.nd.edu. Retrieved August 27, 2018.
5. "1906: Louis Etier Hickey Helped to Build Notre Dame's Replica of the Original 1831 Log Chapel". Retrieved August 27, 2018.
6. https://secure.in.gov/apps/dnr/shaard/r/1c9d1/N/University_of_Notre_Dame_Campus_Main_and_South_Quadrangles_St._Joseph_CO_Nom.pdf ^{[bare URL PDF]}
7. "Irish Legends". IrishIllustrated.com. Retrieved January 30, 2019.