| What makes it historical? |
This cathedral went through three stages, starting as a simple church In 1721, where high born and low born members of society alike would worship, marry, and be transported to their final resting places! This church burned to the ground almost exactly 67 years later when the military treasurer’s drapes caught fire and destroyed most of the buildings around the square!
The new church started its reconstruction in 1789 and arose into the newly declared Diocese of Louisiana and the Floridas. Over the next 60 years, artists added a clock, a bell, and an organ, but something was still missing. The Baroness Pontalba had organized the construction of massive apartments flanking the Place d’Armes, which meant the church also had to be expanded!
The new cathedral was designed by French architect, J. N. B. de Pouilly, and constructed by Irish builder, John Patrick Kirwan, both of whom were dismissed midway through when the central tower collapsed! A new architect finished the cathedral, as we know it today, in 1850. After that, the church stayed pretty solid, through a bombing in 1909 and Hurricane Katrina in 2005. It’s also rumored to be haunted by Pères Antoine de Sedella and Dagobert! |
