A delegation from the French village of Chasse-sur-Rhône visited the Marquette campus on Tuesday, Oct. 28, to trace the transatlantic journey of St. Joan of Arc Chapel and to reconnect with a piece of their town’s medieval history now preserved in Milwaukee.
The group of town leaders, filmmakers and high school students came to Marquette to explore St. Joan of Arc Chapel’s history for a documentary and to strengthen cultural ties between the two communities.
St. Joan of Arc Chapel was initially built in the 15th century in Chasse-sur-Rhône, a small village southeast of Lyon, France. After falling into disrepair by the turn of the 20th century, the chapel was sold to American heiress Gertrude Hill Gavin, who had it rebuilt on her Long Island, New York, estate. In 1962, the chapel was sold again to Marc and Lillian Rojtman, who donated the structure to Marquette.
The documentary project is the brainchild of Damien Gomez, director of cultural services for the village of Chasse-Sur-Rhône, who envisioned a project that would put history in context for their small French town. Gomez and his team recruited a dozen 16-year-olds from the town; the professional filmmaking team, “Rissette”; a historian; and the town’s mayor, Christophe Bouvier, to find out what happened to the famous medieval landmark.
The delegation arrived on campus after first visiting the Long Island site of Gavin’s estate and her childhood home in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Dr. Jennifer Vanderheyden, associate professor of French in the Klingler College of Arts and Sciences, led the organization of the delegation’s visit to Marquette, in conjunction with the Alliance Francaise Milwaukee.
Throughout the visit, Marquette French students had the opportunity to engage with the delegation and share their experiences as American college students. The visit not only deepened the French group’s connection to their past, but gave Marquette students the opportunity to utilize their language skills, engage in cultural diplomacy and reflect on how the chapel’s story extends beyond campus.
The team is currently editing the documentary and expects it to premiere in March 2026 in French theaters and throughout the Micro-Folie digital museum cultural network.
President Ah Yun presented Chasse-sur-Rhône mayor Christophe Bouvier with a Marquette Basketball souvenir and invited the avid basketball fan to attend men’s basketball practice.
Chapel guide Robert Newman provided the Marquette perspective of the chapel’s history in a private tour. For the delegation, spending time inside the chapel they studied for months was a profound experience.
At the Milwaukee School of Languages, the mayors of Milwaukee and Chasse-sur-Rhône signed a charter of friendship between the two cities. Marquette French students Genel Jaffer, Mina Marsolek-Bonnet and Bella Gruber had the opportunity to meet Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson and represent Marquette at the signing. They were joined by Marquette French department faculty Drs. Sally Gendron and Jennifer Vanderheyden.
Senior journalism major and French minor Nareh Vartanian put her language skills to work by providing a campus tour to the delegation entirely in French.
The group spent time in Marquette’s library archives, uncovering new details about the chapel’s history.
