TRAVEL GUIDE

Wisconsin Travel and the St. Joan of Arc Chapel

The St. Joan of Arc Chapel is located on the campus of Marquette University in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee. When you visit on your Wisconsin travel adventure, you will see a spiritual place that has a very old history, older than that of the United States. It was originally built on the Rhone River Valley in France, was moved to Long Island, and is now settled here and dedicated to Joan of Arc.

A long journey

As you will learn on your Wisconsin travels, the chapel was originally built over several generations in the French village of Chass', south of Lyon in France. It was at that time called Chapelle de St. Martin de Sayssuel. It is estimated that it was built in the 15th century, although there is no way of knowing exactly when. After the French Revolution, the building was abandoned and fell into ruins. After World War I, a young architect discovered the chapel and negotiated a transfer to Jericho, New York.

The chapel was shipped to the United States and reconstructed in 1927. John Russell Pope, the architect best known for his design of the Jefferson Memorial and the West Building of the National Gallery of Art, oversaw the reconstruction of the chapel. It was attached to a French Renaissance Chateau, which later burned down in 1962. The chapel was not damaged, but after the owner died it was presented to Marquette University in 1964.

Again the Chapel was taken down, moved, and rebuilt. Today it still stands here, waiting for people to see it and celebrate it.

What to know

When you visit St. Joan of Arc Chapel on your Wisconsin travels, there are a few legends that go along with the chapel. The first is the legend that Joan of Arc prayed before the statue of Our Lady standing on the Joan of Arc Stone. Each time she finished her prayers, she would kiss the stone. Ever since, that particular stone has been colder than the other surrounding it.

The second legend is that the tomb of Chevalier de Sautereau, a horseman and knight, is still located in the sanctuary floor of the chapel.

While you are visiting the chapel on your Wisconsin travel adventure, you will see some Christian artifacts that predate the chapel. Some of the artifacts here were collected over the centuries and have been on display for many many years. Some of these are so rare, they predate the chapel itself by centuries. There are ancient Spanish tapestries, coats of arms, crucifixes, and even a contemporary rooftop. Even better for your Wisconsin travel adventure: it is one of the few exhibits as old as it where visitors are permitted to touch the artifacts.

St. Joan of Arc Chapel has a very long and interesting history that comes from France in the 15th century.