Madonna della Strada Chapel
Loyola University, Chicago
6453 N. Sheridan Road, Loyola University campus
Andrew Nicholas Rebori (1886 - 1966), architect
Madonna della Strada from the northwest. Source: Ryerson and Burnham Archives, Art Institute of Chicago
The Madonna della Strada chapel faces Lake Michigan on the campus of Loyola University, Chicago. The chapel was commissioned by senior priest of the Jesuit Order and university instructor Father James Mertz in 1924. It is named after a painting of the Virgin Mary, known as Madonna Della Strada, enshrined at the Church of the Gesù in Rome, the mother church of the Society of Jesus.
Designed by Andrew Rebori, with associated artists Edgar Miller, Karl Hackert, and Melville Steinfels, among others, the chapel sits next to another Rebori-designed building on the campus, the Elizabeth M. Cudahy Memorial Library.
Caricature of Andrew Rebori, by John Stafford Cromelin. Art Institute of Chicago
Vintage postcard view of the chapel
Chapel drawing, Loyola University Chicago Digital Special Collections
Facade facing Lake Michigan
The rose window is bordered by relief sculptures of the four Evangelists, designed by Edgar Miller.
Vintage images of the bas relief sculptures of three of the Four Evangelists before they were attached to the front facade of the chapel. Source: Edgar Miller Legacy
Elevations by Andrew Rebori, 1937. Right: The iconic front facade is meant to recall a priest raising the monstrance during Mass. Left: The distinctive five arches are meant to represent the five senses in service to God.
Stained glass design by Edgar Miller
Artist Melville Steinfels (1910-1997), painting the chapel mural Crowning of Mary: Queen of Heaven and Earth, and the Society of Jesus (completed 1947)
The Chicago Architectural Journal, vol. 4 1984, "Andrew Rebori: Buildings and Business" [PDF]
Patroness of the Road that Never Was: Loyola’s Madonna della Strada Chapel
Edgar Miller Legacy: Madonna della Strada Chapel
Father Mertz, S.J.'s Dream: Madonna della Strada Chapel
Madonna della Strada: Song in Stone
Loyola University Chicago Digital Special Collections
