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Photograph © Wayne Lorentz
Photograph © Wayne Lorentz
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Built:
1849- 1850
Designed by: J.N.B. de Pouilly
Type: Holy Place
Reportedly haunted: Yes
Location: Jackson Square
City: New Orleans
State: Louisiana
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T
here are a lot of things about New Orleans that evoke Europe. One of those is the fact that a cathedral is the center of consciousness for the city. Located in one of the busiest tourist areas, the Saint Louis Cathedral is a landmark for locals and visitors alike. The first church on this plot was built in 1727. New Orleans was already a bustling city, so this was not a modest affair. It burned down in 1788 when a fire started in the nearby home of the colonial military treasurer spread to the church. Construction was finished on a second church in 1794. It is a gift from a wealthy landowner named Don Andres Almonester y Roxas. By 1834 the cathedral was crowded and shabby from overuse. A renovation project made things worse -- the cathedral collapsed. By 1851, they finally got it right. Because of a scarcity of materials, it was necessary for the cathedral to be built of wood instead of stone like its European counterparts. Still, the building's trio of spires adequately evokes this heritage. Its windows, too, are smaller than the ones typical on the other side of the Atlantic. This is because of the hurricanes that occasionally lash the area. Still, the ten main stained glass windows are great examples of the craft, depicting life of Louis IX.
> June, 1726 - Adrien De Pauger dies before his building is completed. Before he passed away, he asked to be buried in the building. It is unknown if this actually happened, but it is assumed it did.
> 21 March, 1788 - The church burns.
> 1789-1794 - A second church is built.
> 1819 - The City of New Orleans agrees to pay for a clock and a clock tower for the cathedral.
> 1849 - The cathedral collapses during renovation.
> 7 December,1851 - The current cathedral is dedicated.
> September, 1987 - Pope John Paul II visits the cathedral.
> August, 2005 - Hurricane Katrina devastates the city of New Orleans, but the cathedral and much of the French Quarter are spared because the French built it on the highest piece of land in the area.
> 2 October, 2005 - The first mass is held in Saint Louis Cathedral since Hurricane Katrina destroyed much of the city.
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