St. Louis Cathedral, New Orleans

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Saint Louis Cathedral as seen from Jackson Square near the Decatur Street Gates

Saint Louis Cathedral is the cathedral in the French Quarter of New Orleans, Louisiana, USA. It is located on the Place John Paul, a promenaded section of Chartres Street that stretches one block from St. Peter Street on the upriver boundary and St. Anne Street on the downriver boundary.

While not the largest or grandest of the city's Catholic churches, this historic Cathedral remains an important religious and social center, as well as the seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New Orleans. Located next to Jackson Square, with its statue of Andrew Jackson on horseback, and facing the Mississippi River, the St. Louis Cathedral is one of New Orleans' most recognizable landmarks. It is nearly always used as the backdrop for newscasts or political speeches featuring the city of New Orleans.

It is situated between the historic buildings of the Cabildo and the Presbytere.

[edit] History

Three Roman Catholic churches have been on this spot since 1718. The first was a crude wooden structure in the early days of the colony. Construction of a larger brick and timber church began in 1725 and was completed in 1727. This church was destroyed, along with a large number of other buildings of the city, in the Good Friday Fire on 21 March, 1788.

The cornerstone of the current church was laid in 1789 and the building was completed in 1794.

In 1793 Saint Louis Church was elevated to cathedral rank.

In 1819 the central tower with the clock and bell was added.

The building was extensively renovated into its current appearance in the 1850s.

On 25 April, 1909 a dynamite bomb was set off in the Cathedral, blowing out windows and damaging galleries, but doing less severe damage than might be expected from such a violent criminal plot.

The Cathedral suffered further damage in the New Orleans Hurricane of 1915. The following year a portion of the foundation collapsed, necessitating the building being closed as unsafe for a year, from Easter 1916 to Easter 1917, while repairs were made.

The cathedral was designated as a minor basilica by Pope Paul VI in 1964. Pope John Paul II visited the cathedral in September of 1997.

[edit] Hurricane Katrina

The Jesus Christ statue was damaged in the Hurricane

While Hurricane Katrina did not affect the French Quarter as profoundly as other parts of New Orleans, the high winds managed to displace two large oak trees by the Cathedral. In the process, thirty feet of ornamental gate was dislodged, while the marble statue of Jesus Christ lost a thumb and a forefinger.