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Story Behind the Stone Ch1.Pdf St. Louis, King of France Between St. Louis Cathedral and the Presbytere o other American city has a cultural history St. Louis Cathedral is the focal point of Nas rich and vibrant as New Orleans does. Jackson Square. The original wooden structure Its roots are numerous and diverse, but the was built in 1718. A second church of brick taproot extends into French soil. construction was completed in 1727. One year The original French settlers made their way after this church was consumed in the Great from the Gulf of Mexico into Lake Borgne and New Orleans Fire of 1788, construction of the through the Rigolets into Lake Pontchartrain. current cathedral began and was completed From there, they traveled down Bayou St. in 1794. Benjamin Henry Latrobe designed the John and trekked over land to a place near the central tower in 1819. Mississippi River, where they established the Although Louis XIV was the king of France settlement. In charge was explorer Jean Baptiste when Iberville and his brother began to explore Le Moyne, Sieur de Bienville. In 1721, Bienville’s the Gulf Coast, it was for Louis IX, St. Louis, engineer, Adrien de Pauger, laid out the initial that the cathedral was named. plans for a fortified city, a rectangular area St. Louis was the only canonized monarch bounded by Decatur Street, Rampart Street, of France. He was born on April 25, 1214, and Canal Street, and Esplanade Avenue. These died at the age of fifty-six on August 25, 1270. plans included space for the Place d’Armes, He was known for his religious devotion. He which would serve as military parade grounds served in two crusades, the seventh and eighth. with a cannon placed in the center. The square is He commissioned the building of La Sainte bordered on one side by Decatur Street. On the Chapelle, which still stands in the heart of opposite side is St. Louis Cathedral, flanked by Paris. It houses his personal collection of relics, the Cabildo and the Presbytere. The two other including the Crown of Thorns. sides are comprised of the Pontalba buildings. In the early 1900s, the New Orleans statue Today, the French Quarter is the heart and of St. Louis was donated in memory of the soul of New Orleans in the world’s imagination. ordination of Rev. A. M. Barbier. It is a typical In times past, the Place d’Armes (now known depiction of the king. In his right hand is a as Jackson Square) was the French Quarter’s sword, a reminder of his role in the crusades. center, both figuratively and literally. As the Although indiscernible from street level, the following chapters will show, many historic other hand grasps a pillow, upon which rests a events took place there. crown, the Crown of Thorns. The Story Behind the Stone S 13 Joan of Arc Place de France Decatur Street his statue is an enduring reminder that prestigious organization founded in 1876 by TNew Orleans is the flower of French culture prominent members of the French-speaking in America. community, was dedicated to the preservation Born in 1412 in Domremy, France, Joan helped of French language, culture, and literature. Its to end the siege of Orleans, our city’s namesake. presidents included Dr. Armand Mercier, Gen. Her statue is as fitting here in the French G. T. Beauregard, and Prof. Alcée Fortier. The Quarter, the United States’ own European primary literary vehicle for this society was hamlet, as Fremiet’s original in Paris. In 1958, the Comptes Rendus, published from 1876 until the people of France donated to the city of New 1951. A local French newspaper, L’Abeille de Orleans the monument of Joan of Arc, the Maid la Nouvelle Orléans, was in publication until of Orleans. From the day that Bienville founded 1925. Today, L’Alliance Française continues to our city in 1718, French culture became the preserve French culture and language. bedrock for New Orleans society. Its influence The Gallic symbol of the fleur-de-lis has been is discernible in local law, religion, language, an integral part of our city since its inception. literature, cuisine, and customs. Bienville brought with him the flag of the From the Napoleonic Code that forms the House of Bourbon, a white silken banner with basis for our current civil code to the street names three golden fleurs-de-lis arrayed centrally. in the French Quarter, the French influence is This flag fluttered over the Place d’Armes until evident. The much-used term “Creole” defines the Spanish began their rule. On February 5, a descendant of the original French settlers. A 1918, the official flag of the city of New Orleans Creole general, who didn’t speak English until was adopted during the Bienville Bicentennial the age of twelve, fired the first shot in the Civil Celebration. It was a composite of the ideas of War. Fencing schools were as popular in New two men, Bernard Barry and Gus Couret. The Orleans as in Paris. Lafcadio Hearn wrote: flag was comprised of a field of white with a top border of red, bottom border of blue, and three At that time fencing was a fashionable golden fleurs-de-lis centrally placed. It was very amusement. It was the pride of a Creole gentleman to be known as a fine swordsman. similar to the flag of the House of Bourbon. On Most of the Creole youths educated in Paris July 9, 2008, Gov. Bobby Jindal authorized the have learned the art under great masters; but fleur-de-lis as the official symbol of the state of even these desired to maintain their skill by Louisiana. Today this symbol is ubiquitous. frequent visits to the Salles d’Armes at home. Indeed, fencing was something more than a In 1999, the Joan of Arc statue was placed at mere amusement; it was almost a necessity. its current location at the Place de France on Decatur Street. With her oriflamme (war banner) The flavor of New Orleans has been thrust high, the coruscating statue of La Pucelle undeniably French. The opulent French Opera (The Maid) appears prepared to challenge any House reflected the Gallic interest in opera and threats to New Orleans. classical music. The Athénée Louisianaise, a The Story Behind the Stone S 15 St. Angela de Merici 2635 State Street (Statue faces South Claiborne Avenue) n the early eighteenth century, New Orleans the condemned were drawn to the convent in Iwas a place missionaries were sent to, not from. search of solace. Relatives and nuns cringed and Here, harsh living conditions and disease were trembled as the rifle shots rang out. bigger concerns than converting indigenous The nuns were again huddled in the convent peoples. Because of the ongoing presence of during the Great Fire of 1788. The fire was missionary orders, New Orleans has always raging and consuming most of the city, putting been perceived as a “Catholic city.” Of the early their home and their lives in great peril. As orders, the Ursulines remained one of the two they prayed fervently, the prevailing winds most influential through what Charles Gayarré, suddenly changed, and the convent was spared. the notable Louisiana historian, called the For this reason, it is the oldest French structure French, Spanish, and American “dominations.” in the entire lower Mississippi Valley. The Ursuline Order, named for the patron During the early part of the American saint Ursula, was established in 1535 by St. domination, British invaders besieged the city Angela de Merici for the education of girls. on January 8, 1815. Again the nuns prayed, this Nearly two centuries later, Fr. Nicolas Ignace time for the success of the numerically inferior de Beaubois, the New Orleans Jesuit Superior, American forces. The mother superior vowed a was instrumental in arranging for the Ursulines yearly solemn High Mass and a Te Deum if the to come to the city. Enduring a difficult voyage Americans were granted victory. That pledge aboard the Gironde, twelve Ursuline nuns continues to be honored to this day. arrived at La Nouvelle Orléans from France in In 1824, the convent was relocated uptown. 1727. The sisters stayed in a home located at The Archdiocese of New Orleans renovated the the corner of Chartres and Bienville streets and original French Quarter convent, which now remained there until the work on their convent serves as an archive and museum. was concluded seven years later. Shortly The Ursuline nuns have served the thereafter, because of structural problems, the community in many ways over the years. They convent had to be rebuilt. Work commenced in have had an orphanage, boarding school, and 1745 but was not completed for another seven hospital. They even ran a plantation. But their years. primary purpose has always been to teach young Five years after the beginning of Spanish rule, women. Baroness Pontalba was one such pupil, twelve Creoles attempted to overthrow Spanish and so was Marie Maxent, who became the wife authority in a coup called the Conspiracy of of Bernardo de Galvez. Ursuline Academy, 1768. Spanish governor O’Reilly ruthlessly established in 1727 along with the convent, is crushed this revolt by condemning five of the still operational today on State Street, making conspirators to death. The prisoners were to it the oldest girls’ school in the United States. be executed in the barracks yard, which was Facing Claiborne Avenue is the statue of the adjacent to the Ursuline Convent. Families of founder of the order, St. Angela de Merici. The Story Behind the Stone S 17 St.
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