Home of the Fighting Irish
University of Notre Dame
The Golden Dome, topped by a statue of Mary, rises over a campus of around 170 buildings set around two lakes and seven quadrangles, often ranked among the most beautiful in the world.
- 6Buildings
- 5Traditions
- 1879Oldest · Main Building (Golden Dome)
- 2019Newest · Walsh Family Hall of Architecture
Campus map and Look Around
Tap a numbered pin to see that building from the street with Apple Look Around.
Planning the visit
- Fly intoSouth Bend International Airport (SBN)
South Bend International is a short drive from campus. The South Shore Line commuter train runs from the airport to downtown Chicago.
- Getting aroundWalking
The historic core around the Main Quad and South Quad is best explored on foot, with the Basilica, the Dome and the Grotto all a few minutes apart.
- Colors and teams
Campus has its own vocabulary: the Main Quad is 'God Quad', and the Word of Life mural on the Hesburgh Library is better known as 'Touchdown Jesus'.
6 buildings to stamp
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Photo: Tobias Rad, Cornelia Rad, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons Main Building (Golden Dome)
Main Quad, Notre Dame, IN 46556
After fire destroyed its predecessor in 1879, this Second Empire landmark was raised again in a single summer. Its Golden Dome, crowned by a statue of Mary, is the university's most recognizable sight.
- Built
- 1879
- Architect
- Willoughby J. Edbrooke
- Style
- Second Empire
- Height
- 57 m (187 ft)
- Today
- Administration Building
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Photo: Eccekevin, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons Basilica of the Sacred Heart
Main Quad, Notre Dame, IN 46556
This Gothic Revival church glows with 44 large stained glass windows and murals painted over 17 years by the Vatican painter Luigi Gregori. Its 70-metre bell tower makes it the tallest university chapel in America.
- Built
- 1888
- Architect
- Edward Sorin, Alexis Granger and Brother Charles Harding
- Style
- Gothic Revival
- Height
- 70 m (230 ft)
- Today
- Basilica
-
Photo: Mendaliv, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons Hesburgh Library
Hesburgh Library Quad, Notre Dame, IN 46556
Opened in 1963, the library's 64-metre stone tower faces the football stadium with the giant Word of Life mural, known to everyone as 'Touchdown Jesus'. Its narrow, nearly windowless 13-story tower rises from a wider two-story base of glass, brick and granite.
- Built
- 1963
- Architect
- Ellerbe Company
- Style
- Modernist
- Height
- 64 m (210 ft)
- Today
- University Library
-
Photo: Teemu008, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons Sorin Hall
Main Quad, Notre Dame, IN 46556
The oldest residence hall at Notre Dame, built in 1889, is a Châteauesque building just south of the Basilica. Its famous front porch was added in 1905.
- Built
- 1889
- Architect
- Willoughby J. Edbrooke and Franklin Pierce Burnham
- Style
- Châteauesque
- Today
- Residence Hall
-
Photo: Eccekevin, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons Alumni Hall
South Quad, Notre Dame, IN 46556
Maginnis & Walsh built this Collegiate Gothic residence hall on South Quad in 1931. It has a richly decorated neo-Gothic chapel, and a statue known as 'Joe College' looks out from its south side.
- Built
- 1931
- Architect
- Maginnis & Walsh
- Style
- Collegiate Gothic
- Today
- Residence Hall
-
Photo: Eccekevin, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons Walsh Family Hall of Architecture
Notre Dame, IN 46556
Home of a school famous for teaching classical design, this 2019 building by John Simpson has a Hall of Casts, a stoa, a tower and a courtyard. It won the 2019 Acanthus Award for institutional architecture.
- Built
- 2019
- Architect
- John Simpson
- Style
- New Classical
- Today
- School of Architecture
5 traditions to check off
Stamped! keeps these as a checklist, so you can tick each one off on the visit.
Main Building Front Steps
Undergraduates avoid the front steps of the Main Building, as legend says using them means not graduating; seniors first walk them at graduation. Visitors are welcome to use the steps and take a photo under the Golden Dome.
Light a Candle at the Grotto
Students, alumni and visitors light candles and say a prayer at the Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes; Notre Dame Magazine jokes you should leave double the suggested offering "just to be sure." Visitors can light a candle and read Tom Dooley's letter to Father Hesburgh there.
Touchdown Jesus
The Word of Life mural on the face of the Hesburgh Library, better known as Touchdown Jesus, is one of the campus landmarks where visiting families line up for photos. Visitors can pose in front of it by the reflecting pool.
Fair Catch Corby
The statue of Father William Corby with his arm raised, nicknamed Fair-Catch Corby, stands outside Corby Hall and is a classic campus photo stop. Visitors can pose beside it.
Lyons Hall Arch
Campus superstition holds that a couple who kiss under the archway of Lyons Hall may get engaged before graduation. Visitors can walk through the arch and see it for themselves.
Know University of Notre Dame well?
Students and alumni know the traditions best. Suggest one we're missing, a building worth a stamp, or a fix. Every suggestion is checked against a source before it goes into the app.
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Stamp all 6 on your visit.
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