Basilica of the Sacred Heart

History & Significance

Basilica · Est. Consecrated August 15, 1888 (planning begun 1869, cornerstone laid 1871); elevated to minor basilica 1992

The Basilica of the Sacred Heart is the Gothic Revival campus church at the University of Notre Dame in Notre Dame, Indiana. Planning for the present church began in 1869 under Holy Cross founder Rev. Edward Sorin, C.S.C.; the cornerstone was laid on May 31, 1871, and the church was consecrated on August 15, 1888. Vatican painter Luigi Gregori adorned the interior with murals over roughly 17 years, and the church holds one of the largest collections of 19th-century French stained glass in the United States. Pope John Paul II elevated it to the rank of minor basilica on January 17, 1992; it serves as the mother church of the Congregation of Holy Cross.

Gothic Revival (neo-Gothic), reflecting founder Edward Sorin's French taste

• •Consecrated August 15, 1888; cornerstone laid May 31, 1871
• •Elevated to minor basilica by Pope John Paul II on January 17, 1992
• •Mother church of the Congregation of Holy Cross, the order that founded Notre Dame in 1842
• •Interior murals painted by Vatican artist Luigi Gregori over roughly 17 years
• •Holds one of the largest collections of 19th-century French stained glass in North America