Fraternité Notre Dame

Once home to Chicago's largest Methodist congregation, this Austin church was constructed in 1899 to the designs of Sidney R. Bradley of Cleveland, Ohio. In 2000, Fraternité Notre Dame, a traditional Catholic religious order, entirely restored the sanctuary and the church building after it had sat vacant for 30 years. The seating is striking, arranged in a semicircle to face the altar in the northwest corner. Painted murals surround the shrine to the Most Blessed Virgin Mary and decorate a skylight. Fraternité Notre Dame is at the service of the poor and offers various charitable programs in the area.