More commonly referred to as St. Louis Cathedral, this cathedral is among the most prominent and visited religious sites in New Orleans. The Cathedral is the site of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New Orleans. The cathedral as it stands today was built in 1793 after and is the oldest cathedral in the United States. It is said stand on the same site that Bienville himself selected for the church and
where the accompanying priest first planted the Cross of Christ upon establishment of the initial colony in 1717. Since this time, there have been three churches at this site all bearing the name St. Louis.
The first church of St. Louis was constructed in 1724
The second church built was of more durable brick and mortar and brick was built in 1810.
In 1788, a fire destroyed the church as well as most of New Orleans structures. This led to the construction of the final structure that remains today aside from some renovations. Construction of this building was completed in 1794. In 1798, the church was classified as a Cathedral. In 1966, St. Paul designated the Cathedral a Basilica.
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The Church that stands today is the oldest Catholic Church in the United States and New Orleans Parrish is the second oldest Parrish.
There are twelve people buried beneath the floor of St. Louis Cathedral. The last one being a beloved priest, Pere Antoine, in 1829.
By Robert Young
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