St. Landry Catholic Church
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Location | 1020 N. Union St., Opelousas, Louisiana |
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Coordinates | 30°32′34″N 92°4′45″W / 30.54278°N 92.07917°WCoordinates: 30°32′34″N 92°4′45″W / 30.54278°N 92.07917°W |
Area | 1.4 acres (0.57 ha) |
Built | 1908 (opened April 1909) |
Architect | Owen & Diboll |
Architectural style | Romanesque Revival |
NRHP Reference # | 82004675 |
Added to NRHP | May 3, 1982 |
St. Landry Catholic Church is a historic Roman Catholic church in Opelousas, Louisiana. It is dedicated to Saint Landry of Paris (Bishop c. AD 650). The current church building, in Romanesque Revival style, was completed in 1909. The church and cemetery were placed on the National Register of Historic Places in the United States, on May 5, 1982. By 1792, the church had been renamed from the original title, "Parish Church of the Immaculate Conception of the Post of Opelousas".
In the days of the early 18th century, the area of what is now known as Opelousas was settled by a number of Catholics, many of whom were from Nova Scotia and had no established parish in which to worship. Although there was no official church yet, there was a baptismal ritual which was recorded on May 16, 1756, by Father Pierre Didier, at the home of Jacques Courtableau (now located in Washington, Louisiana).
The early records of the church, which were saved by Fr. Joseph de Arazena, the fourth pastor of the church of Opelousas from 1785 to 1789, mentions a Capuchin, Fr. Valentin, as the first resident priest in 1764. By 1767, a wooden, cypress church had been built near Bayou Courtableau, and it became the parish church in 1770. It was rebuilt in 1774. The records also show that the church was originally called the "Parish Church of the Immaculate Conception of the Post of Opelousas".
Worship at the present site was not begun until the year 1798, when the construction of a wood-frame building was completed, and the parish name was changed to "The Church of St Landry". There is no actual record of the original location of the church, but it is believed, according to Fr. Michael Bernard Barriere, pastor from 1813 to 1817, that the church was located a short distance from the present site and being on the Bayou Tesson. He noted that: "During the year 1798, the present church was moved from the bayou (he spells it "Baillou") in the locality called 'Ponte a M. Tesson'".