Religious Site· 1826· Tremé

St. Expedite Shrine — Our Lady of Guadalupe

Our Lady of Guadalupe Church, built in 1826 as a ‘mortuary chapel’ so yellow fever victims could receive last rites without entering St. Louis Cathedral and infecting the congregation. The chapel houses a shrine to St. Expedite, a Roman centurion-saint who is simultaneously a Catholic figure and a central deity in New Orleans Voodoo practice. Devotees leave offerings of pound cake and flowers; the saint is invoked for urgent requests. The dual identity of the shrine — Catholic and Voodoo, simultaneously — is New Orleans religion in a single room.

Quick facts

·Built in 1826 as a 'mortuary chapel' so yellow fever victims could receive last rites without entering St. Louis Cathedral.
·Houses a shrine to St. Expedite, a Roman centurion-saint who is simultaneously a Catholic figure and a central deity in New Orleans Voodoo.
·Devotees leave offerings of pound cake and flowers; the saint is invoked for urgent requests.
·The dual identity of the shrine — Catholic and Voodoo, simultaneously — is New Orleans religion in a single room.
·The oldest surviving church building in New Orleans.
·Located at 411 N. Rampart St, Tremé. Open daily. Free. The St. Expedite shrine is in the left transept.