St. Joan of Arc Chapel was originally named Chapelle de St. Martin de Sayssuel. It was also originally built in Lyon, France around the 15th century. After the French Revolution, the chapel was abandoned and has started to deteriorate. It was discovered by a young architect who arranged a transfer to New York in 1927 where it was reconstructed. It was attached to a French Chateau which burned down in the early 1960s. The chapel however remained undamaged.

The chapel was moved to its current location in Marquette University in 1964 and was renovated to adopt the campus? surroundings. Panels were renovated and windows were added. The French architect who administered the renovation tried to restore what it initially looked like when the chapel was in France. There are also many historical artifacts placed in the chapel. St. Joan of Arc Chapel is one of the oldest medieval structure from Europe located in the United States. It is highly doubtful that such a fine and important historical structure would be allowed to leave its original location today.