Mundelein Seminary sits on one of the most carefully planned campuses in the nation. Everywhere one looks – from the Archbishop’s house to the Chapel of the Immaculate Conception –stone and glass communicate the essence of the Christian life, especially as lived in seminary formation.
Mundelein’s campus intentionally synthesizes the Colonial Revival and the architecture of Renaissance Rome, joining the Roman traditions of Catholicism with American cultural traditions.
This early attempt at what would later be known as “inculturation” reveals the prophetic foresight of Cardinal Mundelein, who made sure the seminary was both distinctly Catholic and distinctly American. While some initially found this accommodation with American culture unsettling, as the decades passed, the campus has become widely appreciated for its intelligent design, high level of craft, and siting within dramatic natural beauty. Even leading Yale architect Allan Greenberg recognizes this. He says, “Walking the grounds, one is reminded of Leon Battista Alberti’s definition of architectural beauty as “a reasoned harmony of parts . . . so that nothing may be added, taken away, or altered but for the worse.’”
This tour is great for groups from schools and parishes. We invite any all interested groups to the seminary to learn more about this place that Cardinal Mundelein called “the heart of the archdiocese.”
