Bishops' Collection
Do you like antiques, relics, or beautifully embroidered clothes?
Here’s your chance to see “up close” what bishops of old (and recent times) wore and carried with them on a typical day. You may find vestments from a bishop of your city or from John Paul II. If you aren’t planning a trip to Rome, Notre Dame’s collection is the next best thing.
Tours, including Bishops' Collection
Make an appointment, and a Basilica guide will tailor the Bishops’ Collection tour to your interests. Admission is free and open to the public.
- Monday – Friday 9:00 am – 11:00 am and 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm (by appointment only)
- Saturday 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm (call for information)
- Sunday 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm
- Contact: (574) 631-7329
Visitor Tips
- The best time to come is in January, February, or March, when it isn’t so busy.
- If you are here for football season, stop by.
- Ask your tour guide to open the old trunk that belonged to the Basilica’s painter, Luigi Gregori, from around 1874. Try to figure out what you see inside.
- Check out the studio where Notre Dame televises Mass every Sunday.
- Try to guess what the bas-relief of the Madonna is made of.
Discover more about this special collection
- Televised Mass on the Hallmark Channel is a three–man operation using six cameras.
- One of the altars uses modern track lighting.
- Two individual chapel altars are set up so that retired priests can say Mass by themselves in the basement of the Basilica.
- Original altar chime from the Basilica of the Sacred Heart used to signal the start of the celebration of the Eucharist.
A short selection of things to see:
- Ornate, embroidered vestments
- Mitres, staffs, shoes, caps, sandals, sashes, gloves
- Ciborium cover (a ciborium is a container for holding hosts)
- Luigi Gregori’s trunk (painter of the murals in the Basilica) from c. 1874
- Cardinals’ hats (these round-rimmed hats are called "galeros")
- Personal chalices
- Vestments embroidered by the daughter of the Empress of Austria
- Rev. Alexis Granger’s sick-call satchel, containing oils to anoint the sick, used for 40 years
Collection Samples
First Catholic Bishop of the US
Crosier and Pectoral Cross of the Most Reverend John Carroll, first Catholic bishop of Baltimore (which at that time included all of the United States). Case contains a portrait and an unusual staff that has various sections. He ordained Stephen Badin, the first priest ordained in the US and builder of the original Log Chapel (1830).
Saint Bridget of Sweden
The collection houses a gold screen from the sanctuary of the Church of Saint Bridget in Rome. Through this screen, Saint Bridget of Sweden used to hear Mass. The Church was under the care of the Congregation of Holy Cross until 1848 when papal states were first seized by the Kingdom of Italy. The screen is cracking, but still in good shape.
Basilica’s Former Rector
Most Reverend Daniel R. Jenky CSC, bishop of the diocese of Peoria, Illinois, served as rector of the Basilica for 18 years, just prior to his Episcopal ordination as Auxiliary Bishop of the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend. His shoes are on display.
First Bishop of Philadelphia
Mitre of Bishop Michael Egan, first bishop of Philadelphia, who died in 1814.
First Bishop of Albany, Archbishop of NYC
Crosier, mitre, and rabbi used by Most Reverend John McCloskey, installed as first bishop of Albany, N.Y., in 1842. In 1864, he was named Archbishop of New York City. He became cardinal in 1875.
First Bishop of California
Maniple (1840) of the first bishop of California, Francisco Diego, ordained as bishop before the territory became a state. The maniple (worn on the left arm during liturgies) is no longer used since the liturgical reforms of the Second Vatican Council.
Metropolitan Cathedral, Panama City
Collection of books written by and about Archbishop Marcos G. McGrath, CSC; photos from the funeral and interment of McGrath in the Metropolitan Cathedral, Panama City, Panama; and McGrath’s cassock.
