The Crescent City wraps up its celebratory 300th year this week. Another icon of New Orleans commemorates its dedication on this day. A Roman Catholic church has stood where St. Louis Cathedral now sits, dating back to the founding of New Orleans. French settlers built the first church out of wood. In 1725, work began on a larger brick and timber building. French engineer Adrien de Pauger designed the structure. It took two years to complete. Four French governors and three Spanish ones worshiped in this church. On Good Friday (March 21, 1788), the church burned in the Great New Orleans Fire. In 1789, the cornerstone of St. Louis Cathedral was laid. It took five years to build the new church. Four years into construction, the new house of worship became a cathedral for a new diocese. Pope Pius VI created the Diocese of Louisiana and the Floridas on April 25, 1793.
Sixty years after the cornerstone was laid, the cathedral was restored using J. N. B. de Pouilly’s designs. The restoration was extensive, taking the building down to the lateral walls. The lower portions of the existing towers remained as well. As construction continued, it was determined the walls had to come down as well. In 1850, the central tower collapsed. This caused the departure of J. N. B. and almost all the remaining Spanish Colonial structure. The cathedral as you see it today is from 1850.
In 1910, part of the foundation collapsed. The church closed for a year, from Easter 1916 to Easter 1917 for repairs. Pope Paul VI elevated the cathedral to a minor basilica in 1964. St. Pope John Paul II visited the Cathedral-Basilica of St. Louis in September 1987. When Hurricane Katrina struck in August 2005, the storm damaged a statue of Jesus Christ. It chipped off a forefinger and a thumb. The high winds also put a hole in the roof, causing water damage to the Holtkamp pipe organ. It was shipped off for repairs and restored, returning in June 2008.
By Nowhereman86 at en.wikipedia, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=28169640
Sitting on the square with its three spires for the past 168 years, the Cathedral-Basilica of St. Louis is an icon of New Orleans. History doesn’t write itself, but this building has seen a lot in its 229-year existence. For more information on this wonderful icon, the heart of old New Orleans, click here and here.
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What I’m Reading – Many readers I know like to inquire what their favorite author is reading. At the end of each blog post, I’ll let you know what book is open on my Kindle. I hope my choice of reading material inspires you to read a variety of authors and topics. Currently, I’m reading Ellis Peters’ Brother Cadfael series. After Christmas, I start reading book twenty, Brother Cadfael’s Penance.
Bill’s Cajun House of Pleasure is available on Amazon, as an eBook, and in physical formats. It is also available on the Barnes and Noble website.