page_title: Villanova University
section_title: Main campus
hierarchical_section_title: Villanova University / Campus / Main campus
caption_attribution_description: Monastery on the campus of Villanova University.
context_page_description: Villanova University is a private Catholic university in Radnor Township, Pennsylvania. Named after Saint Thomas of Villanova, the university is the oldest Catholic university in Pennsylvania and the only Augustinian university in the United States. It is classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activity". According to the National Science Foundation, Villanova spent $20.7 million on research and development in 2018, ranking it 267th in the nation.
  Founded in 1842 by the Order of Saint Augustine, the university traces its roots to old Saint Augustine's Church, Philadelphia, which the Augustinian friars of the Province of Saint Thomas of Villanova founded in 1796, and to its parish school, Saint Augustine's Academy, which was established in 1811. The school's identity remains deeply rooted in its Augustinian Catholic foundation—the majority of students are Catholic, the administration is led by priests, there is a cross on every building, and all students are required to take the Augustine and Culture Seminar course their freshman year.
context_section_description: The most prominent campus feature is St. Thomas of Villanova Church, whose dual spires are the university's tallest structure. The cornerstone was laid in 1883, and construction ended in 1887.  Built in the Gothic Revival style, the church was renovated in 1943 and 1992. The church lies at the head of the path crossing Lancaster Avenue into the parking lots and toward South Campus. It is a popular meeting place for students, and hosts three student-oriented masses on Sunday nights at 5:30, 7, and 9 p.m.  The church is home to St. Thomas of Villanova Parish, whose Masses take place Sunday morning.  The stained-glass windows of the church depict the life of St. Augustine of Hippo.
  Behind the Church is Mendel Field, around which sit six major campus buildings:
  Mendel Hall, named for pioneering geneticist and Augustinian monk Gregor Mendel, holds science labs, lecture halls, and other facilities. Its two large buildings are connected underground and by a second-floor indoor bridge that forms the gateway between West and Main Campus. In 1998, the college commissioned a 7-foot (2.1 m) bronze sculpture of Mendel by Philadelphia sculptor James Peniston, and installed it outside the hall's entrance.
  Tolentine Hall, one of the oldest buildings on campus, houses classrooms, academic offices such as the Registrar's Office and the Office of the President, and computer labs, and is connected to Villanova's monastery, St. Thomas Hall. Tolentine Hall was formerly called Mendel Hall before the construction of the new Mendel Hall, as it was the former home of the various science departments, a fact which ultimately led to the building partially burning down more than once as a result of experiments gone wrong.
  White Hall, consisting mainly of classrooms and laboratories, is connected to the Chemical Engineering Building, which was built in 1947. Ironically, White Hall has an almost entirely black exterior.
  Falvey Hall, or "Old Falvey", is the annex of the Falvey Memorial Library, named for Rev. Daniel Falvey who served as librarian from 1940 until his death in 1962.  It is home to some classrooms in the Art History and Education departments as well as some offices, along with the Augustinian Heritage Institute, and the Matthew J. Ryan Center. "Old Falvey" was home to the writing center and Math Learning Resource Center (MLRC) until both centers moved into Falvey Memorial Library's renovated second floor during the 2012–2013 academic year. "Old Falvey" is also home to a recently renovated reading room, which opened in the 2016–2017 academic year.
  John Barry Hall, named for naval officer Commodore John Barry, houses the Navy ROTC Program.
  To the west of the Church, the Center for Engineering Education and Research (CEER), which opened in 1998, holds engineering labs, engineering classrooms, an engineering computer lab, an auditorium hall for projections and slideshows, and a Holy Grounds, which is the name of Villanova's coffee shops.
  Slightly east of Mendel Field sits the Grotto, a landscaped haven between Falvey Library and two residence halls: Alumni Hall, home to the Service Learning Community; and Corr Hall, the location of the Center for Peace and Justice Studies and a small residence hall.  Often home to outdoor masses and other large gatherings, the Grotto used to include a statue depicting Our Lady of Good Counsel and plaques dedicated to the veterans of World War II and the Vietnam War, but these were moved to a new location between St. Rita's Hall and Austin Hall, two residence halls across from Alumni Hall that also house the Campus Ministry Office and University Admissions Office, respectively, during the 2012–2013 academic year.
  Falvey Library, the campus's main research library, houses over 1 million books, thousands of periodicals, television production studios, and quiet places for solitary or group study, as well as the campus's writing center and Math Learning Resource Center, which moved from "Old Falvey" to the renovated second floor of the library during the 2012–2013 academic year. Behind Falvey Library is the Saint A
caption: St. Thomas of Villanova Monastery
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