St. Louis Cathedral

The city and the cathedral began together. New Orleans was founded in 1718, and a parish has occupied this spot continuously since that year — making it the oldest cathedral in continuous use in the United States, alongside the Royal Presidio Chapel in Monterey, California.

Three churches have stood here. The first was a crude wooden structure in the early days of the French colony. As the French were Catholic, their church was prominently located on the town square. A larger brick and timber church, begun in 1725 and completed in 1727, was destroyed in the Great New Orleans Fire on Good Friday, March 21, 1788. The third went up under Spanish rule — cornerstone laid in 1789, building completed in 1794. In 1793, before the building was finished, Saint Louis Church was elevated to cathedral rank as the See of the Diocese of New Orleans.

In 1819, a central tower designed by Benjamin Henry Latrobe was added, with a clock and bell. The bell was embossed with the name "Victoire," in commemoration of the Battle of New Orleans in 1815. The clock installed during that decade is one of the oldest public clocks still operating in the country. In 1849, the diocese contracted to enlarge and restore the cathedral using plans by Jacques Nicolas Bussière de Pouilly. During construction in 1850, the central tower collapsed. Very little of the Spanish Colonial structure survived. The present building dates primarily to 1850 — the triple-steeple profile you see today is de Pouilly's.

On April 25, 1909, a dynamite bomb was set off in the cathedral, blowing out windows and damaging galleries. The following year a portion of the foundation collapsed, closing the building from Easter 1916 to Easter 1917. It endured. Pope Paul VI designated it a minor basilica in 1964.

Père Antoine — Father Antonio de Sedella — served as pastor for forty years. He is buried beneath the sanctuary floor. Mass is celebrated every day. The cathedral is open daily between services, free of charge.