I watched the TV Special “The Passion Live” in New Orleans from Fox last Black Saturday. I remembered my trip there less than 2 years ago. One of the New Orleans landmarks I saw on the show is the St. Louis Cathedral.

The cathedral-basilica is located in the French Quarter. It is dedicated to Louis IX, the sainted King of France. This is the oldest Catholic cathedral in continual use in the United States. This notable building instantly recognizes the city.

The cathedral faces the Mississippi River. The triple steeples tower over the historic neighborhood, which is the heart of the old city. Established in 1720 as a small wooden chapel, it served as the center of the street grid. The French engineer and cartographer Adrien de Pauger used it that same year. He was appointed to draw the original map of the French Quarter. New Orleans had just been established two years prior, and the French Quarter was then known as the Vieux Carre.

The cathedral was one of our destinations. We roamed around the French Quarter after attending a tropical medicine conference that day. I find the exteriors of the church very impressive and the interiors absolutely stunning. The current building primarily dates to the 1850 major reconstruction of the church. The cathedral was declared a “minor basilica” by Pope Paul VI in 1964.

The St. Louis Cathedral is one of the few Catholic churches in the United States that fronts a major public square. In this case, it is the Jackson Square. The bronze statue of General Andrew Jackson can be seen in all his glory riding a horse. Jackson gained fame for leading the fight against the British invasion at the Battle of New Orleans. He eventually became the seventh president of the United States.

This beautifully crafted cathedral is a must-see when you visit New Orleans. It also looks amazing at night as the shadow of Christ’s statue reflects against the back side of the cathedral.