St. Mary's Assumption Church | |
Location | Corner of Constance and Josephine New Orleans, Louisiana 70130 |
---|---|
Coordinates | 29°55′44.75″N90°4′29.01″W / 29.9290972°N 90.0747250°W |
Built | 1860 |
Architectural style | Baroque Revival, Late Victorian |
NRHP reference No. | 71000361 |
Significant dates | |
Added to NRHP | August 12, 1971 [1] |
Designated NHL | May 30, 1974 [2] |
St. Mary's Assumption Church is a National Historic Landmark church at Constance and Josephine Streets in New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S. The church was completed in 1860, built for the swelling German Catholic immigrant population in the Lower Garden District section of the city (the church across the street, Saint Alphonsus Church, was built at the same time for the swelling Irish Catholic immigrant population in the same area). Both churches are extremely beautiful and ornate.
St. Mary's Assumption is home to a shrine and museum for Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos, a German priest who came to the United States to minister to German-speaking immigrants. Fr. Seelos died while serving as the pastor at St. Mary's Assumption: after visiting and caring for the victims of yellow fever, he succumbed to the disease himself in 1867. In recognition of his virtuous life, Fr. Seelos was beatified by the Roman Catholic Church in 2000.
It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1974, significant as a rare and elaborate example German Baroque Revival architecture. [2] [3]
In 1965, the church was heavily damaged by Hurricane Betsy, which resulted in the church being temporarily closed, and almost resulted in the church being demolished. [4] In 2005, Hurricane Katrina caused heavy rain and wind damage, and water infiltration damaged interior plaster and ceiling. [2]
Best-selling novelist Anne Rice had her marriage convalidated at St. Mary's Assumption with her husband Stan. [5] Rice included the church in her fictional work. In The Witching Hour, two of the main characters were married at St. Mary's Assumption. In Blackwood Farm , the church is the setting of a funeral. In 2005, Rice added text and pictures on her website that encouraged donations to St. Mary's Assumption to help repair the damage caused by Hurricane Katrina. [6]
The church has two pipe organs. The grand organ in the second balcony was constructed in 1861 by the firm of Simmons & Willcox of Boston. It was rebuilt with new tubular pneumatic chests in 1900 by William Schuelke. It was partially electrified ca. 1920. The choir organ was constructed by Pels & VanLeeuwen of Alkmaar, The Netherlands, in 1971 for the chapel of First Presbyterian Church of Royal Oak, Michigan, as that firm's Op. 775. It was relocated to St. Mary's Assumption Church in 2015.
The French Quarter, also known as the Vieux Carré, is the oldest neighborhood in the city of New Orleans. After New Orleans was founded in 1718 by Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville, the city developed around the Vieux Carré, a central square. The district is more commonly called the French Quarter today, or simply "The Quarter", related to changes in the city with American immigration after the 1803 Louisiana Purchase. Most of the extant historic buildings were constructed either in the late 18th century, during the city's period of Spanish rule, or were built during the first half of the 19th century, after U.S. purchase and statehood.
Saint Louis Cemetery is the name of three Catholic cemeteries in New Orleans, Louisiana. Most of the graves are above-ground vaults constructed in the 18th and 19th centuries.
Acadiana, also known as Cajun Country, is the official name given to the French Louisiana region that has historically contained much of the state's Francophone population.
The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, also called the Baltimore Basilica, is a Catholic cathedral in Baltimore, Maryland. It was the first Catholic cathedral built in the United States after the nation's founding, and was among the first major religious buildings constructed therein after the adoption of the U.S. Constitution.
The Garden District is a neighborhood of the city of New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. A subdistrict of the Central City/Garden District Area, its boundaries as defined by the New Orleans City Planning Commission are: St. Charles Avenue to the north, 1st Street to the east, Magazine Street to the south, and Toledano Street to the west. The National Historic Landmark district extends a little farther.
The Cathedral-Basilica of Saint Louis, King of France, also called St. Louis Cathedral, is a Catholic cathedral and basilica in New Orleans, Louisiana. It is the seat of the Archdiocese of New Orleans and is the oldest cathedral in continuous use in the United States alongside the Royal Presidio Chapel in Monterey, California. It is dedicated to Saint Louis, also known as King Louis IX of France. The first church on the site was built in 1718; the third, under the Spanish rule, built in 1789, was raised to cathedral rank in 1793. The second St. Louis Cathedral was burned during the great fire of 1788 and was expanded and largely rebuilt and completed in the 1850s, with little of the 1789 structure remaining.
Fort Jackson is a historic masonry fort located 40 miles (64 km) up river from the mouth of the Mississippi River in Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana. It was constructed as a coastal defense of New Orleans, between 1822 and 1832, and it was a battle site during the American Civil War. It is a National Historic Landmark. It was damaged by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, and its condition is threatened. It is marked Battery Millar on some maps, for the Endicott era work built nearby it.
The Cabildo, originally called "Casa Capitular", is a historical building in New Orleans, Louisiana. Originally the seat of Spanish colonial city hall, the building now forms part of the Louisiana State Museum. It is located along Jackson Square, adjacent to St. Louis Cathedral.
Francis Xavier Seelos, CSsR was a German Redemptorist who worked as a missionary in the United States frontier. Towards the end of his life, he went to New Orleans to minister to victims of yellow fever. He then died after contracting the disease.
Irish Channel is a neighborhood of the city of New Orleans. It is a subdistrict of the Central City/Garden District Area. Although the original site was located predominantly on the east side of Jackson Avenue, its boundaries as defined by the Historic District Landmarks Commission are: Magazine Street to the north, Jackson Avenue to the east, the Mississippi River to the south and Delachaise Street to the west.
Our Lady of Prompt Succor is a Roman Catholic title of the Blessed Virgin Mary associated with a wooden devotional image of the Madonna and Child enshrined in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States of America. The image is closely associated with Mother Saint Michel, the Superior of the New Orleans Ursulines.
St. Frances Cabrini Church was a Roman Catholic parish church in New Orleans, Louisiana, from 1963 until 2005, when it was extensively damaged by floodwaters of Hurricane Katrina. The church was designed in the modernist style by New Orleans architectural firm Curtis and Davis. Their design was intended to facilitate parishioners' participation in religious ceremonies. The church building did not re-open after Hurricane Katrina and was demolished in 2007 amid controversy over architectural preservation.
St. Patrick's Church is a Catholic church and parish in the Archdiocese of New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. The parish was founded in 1833, and the current structure was completed in 1840. It is the second-oldest parish in New Orleans, located upriver from the French Quarter at 724 Camp Street in what is now the Central Business District. The building, a National Historic Landmark, is one of the nation's earliest and finest examples of Gothic Revival architecture.
The Church of the Assumption Catholic Church was dedicated in 1874 and is the oldest existing church in Saint Paul. It is located at 51 West Seventh Street, in downtown Saint Paul. The building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
St. Alphonsus Church is a historic former church building at 2029 Constance Street in New Orleans, Louisiana. Completed in 1857, it is one of the few surviving national examples of a richly multi-colored church interior predating the 1870s, and a high quality example of ecclesiastical Italianate architecture. It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1996 for its architectural significance. It is now home to the St. Alphonsus Art and Cultural Center.
Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos Catholic Church, formerly St. Vincent de Paul Church, is a church in New Orleans listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The parish was founded in 1838 as the third parish in the city. The original parish boundaries intersected those of St. Louis Cathedral, New Orleans and served the French community. In fact, the French tradition was so strong that sermons were not given in English until the 1880s. In later years, its parish boundaries overlapped the boundaries of Holy Trinity Church, which served German residents.
The National Shrine of St. Alphonsus Liguori, also known as St. John Neumann Shrine and "Baltimore's Powerhouse of Prayer," is part of a historic Catholic church complex in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded by the Redemptorists in 1917, the church has extensive affiliations with important figures in Baltimore Catholic history. Since 1992, the parish has held regular Tridentine Masses. It is currently administered by the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter. The complex was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973 as St. Alphonsus Church, Rectory, Convent and Halle.
The Church of St. Mary of Victories is a historic Roman Catholic church in downtown St. Louis, Missouri, in the Chouteau's Landing Historic District south of the Gateway Arch. It was established in 1843, and was the second Catholic Church to be built in the city. It has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Marigny Opera House, also known as the Church of the Arts, is an opera house and performing arts center in Faubourg Marigny, New Orleans, Louisiana. The Marigny was originally a Catholic parish church known as Holy Trinity Catholic Church. It was closed by the Archdiocese of New Orleans in 1997.
The Basilica of St. Stephen is a church in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States, that became a minor basilica in June 2022. It is also known as Saint Stephen Church. It is located in Uptown New Orleans. The Basilica of St. Stephen is part of Good Shepherd Parish and has a parochial school associated with it.