Explore outside the Basilica
The Bell Tower
The Basilica has North America's oldest carillon
Originally installed in 1852 in a wooden tower that stood in front of the "Old Church," the 23-bell carillon is in the upper belfry of the present Basilica; the eight–ton great bourdon bell (named Saint Anthony of Padua) is in the lower belfry (and is not part of the carillon). The spire is empty.
Learn more about the carillon as recorded by the Guild of Carillonneurs in North America.
The Bell
Notre Dame benefactors saved the bell
The largest bass bell, or bourdon, developed a crack in it that rendered it useless.
Fr. Sorin and Fr. Granger again turned to Notre Dame benefactors for a replacement. Those who responded are remembered, their names in raised letters, on the eight–ton bell.
The bell was sent to Notre Dame from France in 1867. The giant bell was christened the Saint Anthony of Padua Bell. It is just over seven feet tall and measures about seven feet in diameter at the base.
The Log Chapel
A place to live, a carpentry shop, a dorm, a house of worship
The original Log Chapel was built in 1830 by Fr. Badin. The chapel was used as living quarters and a house of worship. It was later used as a carpentry shop and a dormitory.
In 1858, this chapel burned to the ground. However, its site remained a hallowed spot on the campus.
In 1906, the University memorialized its founding place with a replica of its first building. Badin's log chapel was reconstructed from a manuscript's floor plan drawn from the memories of several Holy Cross brothers who lived and worshipped in it in the 1850s.
A story-and-a-half cedar cabin (40 feet by 24 feet), its timbers were hand-hewn by William Arnett, an ex-slave from Kentucky. The chapel is still used today for special events, including weddings.
The Memorial Door
A memorial to those who died in WWI
The east entrance of the Basilica is a memorial to the Notre Dame men who died in World War I.
Over the door is inscribed God, Country, Notre Dame; affixed to the wall on either side of the door are bronze plaques listing the names of the dead.
The light fixture above the entrance way is fashioned from the helmet of Rev. Charles O'Donnell, CSC, 12th President of the University and one of eight priests from the local Holy Cross community who served as chaplains during this war.
The Grotto
"If I could go to the Grotto now, then I think I could sing inside"
The Grotto is a one-seventh replica of the famed French shrine where the Blessed Virgin appeared to Saint Bernadette. Thousands visit the Notre Dame shrine each year to pray and light candles.
Visiting Lourdes on one of his many trips abroad, Fr. Sorin vowed to reproduce that Grotto on campus. He did build a small shrine near the Basilica, but the present-day Grotto was built by Rev. William Corby, CSC. A gift in 1896 from alumnus Rev. Thomas Carroll made the construction possible.
Nearby is a statue of Dr. Thomas Dooley, a ND graduate, and a letter he wrote from Southeast Asia just six weeks before his death, to Rev. Theodore Hesburgh, CSC, then President of the University, "If I could go to the Grotto now, then I think I could sing inside."