St. Louis Cathedral

Year: 1794
Style: Neoclassical
City: New Orleans, LA
Collection: the french quarter

St. Louis Cathedral, dedicated to Saint Louis IX of France, is the seat of the Archdiocese of New Orleans and one of the oldest cathedrals in continuous use in the United States, alongside California's Royal Presidio Chapel. The first church on the site went up in 1718; a second burned in the Great Fire of 1788; the third was built in 1789 under Spanish rule, raised to cathedral rank in 1793, and then largely rebuilt in the 1850s, leaving little of the 1789 structure intact.

the building

The third church on the site. This is the third building here: the first church dated to 1718, the second burned in the Great Fire of 1788, and the third — built in 1789 under Spanish rule — was raised to cathedral rank in 1793 before being largely rebuilt in the 1850s.

the style

The cathedral's present Neoclassical form dates largely to the 1850s rebuilding, which left little of the original 1789 Spanish colonial structure standing.

significance

St. Louis Cathedral is one of the oldest cathedrals in continuous use in the United States, tied with the Royal Presidio Chapel in Monterey, California, and serves as the seat of the Archdiocese of New Orleans on Jackson Square.

nearby

The Presbytere 120 ft · Baroque
Pontalba Buildings 280 ft · 1849
The Cabildo 310 ft · Baroque · 1795
Madame John's Legacy 400 ft · French Colonial
Napoleon House 0.2 mi · French Colonial
Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop 0.2 mi · Baroque

All 38 buildings in New Orleans