Notre Dame re-gilds iconic statue of the Virgin Mary
The Golden Dome at Notre Dame University is an internationally recognized symbol, and it’ll shine a little brighter this fall thanks to an ambitious project: re-gilding the Virgin Mary statue.
And yes, the 17-foot-tall statue is covered in real gold.
An inspiring story
The story behind the giant, gleaming statue of Our Lady on Notre Dame’s Main Building is an incredibly moving one.
Domers everywhere have Rev. Edward Sorin, C.S.C., to thank for the iconic landmark. He came to the frozen forests of Indiana as a young man with $310 and a wild dream of founding a great Catholic university.
“We have seen the almost ridiculous daring of the man, building his four-storied brick college when the student body was almost less numerous than the professors,” a biographer wrote.
His college, the University of Notre Dame du Lac, opened for students in 1844. It seemed to be flourishing until a devastating blow fell in 1879, when a fire destroyed the Main Building and forced the university to close temporarily.
Raising Our Lady aloft
Sorin was traveling away from campus during the fire, and he returned to find his life’s work utterly gutted. He could have given up, but he was determined to rebuild bigger and better than before.
