NOTRE DAME, Ind. (WTHR) – In a letter issued by University of Notre Dame's president Sunday, the University announces they will no longer be displaying murals of Christopher Columbus in their main building.
In the letter shared by the Office of the President, President Rev. John Jenkins says, "In recent years, many have come to see the murals as at best blind to the consequences of Columbus's voyage for the indigenous peoples who inhabited this "new" world and at worst demeaning toward them."
There are 12 Christopher Columbus murals in the Main Building on campus.
Jenkins says in the letter that he has heard from students, alumni, faculty, staff, representatives of the Native American community and others on this topic and has come to the decision that the murals in their main building will be preserved but will not be displayed regularly in the current location anymore.
According to the letter, the murals in the main building plan to be covered by woven materials that match the decor of the rest of the space.
"Because the second-floor hall of the Main Building is a busy throughway for visitors and members of the University community, it is not well suited for a thoughtful consideration of these paintings and the context of their composition," wrote President Jenkins.
The covers for the mural will be made "soon".