St. Louis Cathedral (New Orleans)

Cathedral-Basilica of Saint Louis, King of France
View of the façade across Jackson Square
29°57′28.8″N 90°3′49.68″W / 29.958000°N 90.0638000°W / 29.958000; -90.0638000Coordinates: 29°57′28.8″N 90°3′49.68″W / 29.958000°N 90.0638000°W / 29.958000; -90.0638000
Location	Jackson Square New Orleans, Louisiana
Country	United States
Denomination	Roman Catholic Church
Website	www.stlouiscathedral.org
History
Founded	1720
Architecture
Status	Cathedral Minor basilica
Style	Renaissance Spanish Colonial
Groundbreaking	1789
Completed	1794
Administration
Archdiocese	Archdiocese of New Orleans
Clergy
Archbishop	Gregory Aymond
Rector	Philip G. Landry

The Cathedral-Basilica of Saint Louis, King of France, also called St. Louis Cathedral (French: Cathédrale Saint-Louis, Roi-de-France, Spanish: Catedral de San Luis), is the seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New Orleans and is the oldest cathedral in the United States. The first church on the site was built in 1718; the third, built in 1789, was raised to cathedral rank in 1793. The cathedral was expanded and largely rebuilt in 1850, with little of the 1789 structure remaining.

Saint Louis Cathedral is in the French Quarter of New Orleans, Louisiana, United States, on the Place John Paul II (French: Place Jean-Paul II), a promenaded section of Chartres Street (rue de Chartres) that stretches one block between St. Peter Street (rue Saint-Pierre) on the upriver boundary and St. Ann Street (rue Sainte-Anne) on the downriver boundary. It is located next to Jackson Square and facing the Mississippi River in the heart of New Orleans, situated between the historic buildings of the Cabildo and the Presbytère. It is one of the few Roman Catholic churches in the United States that fronts a major public square.

Three Roman Catholic churches have stood on the site since 1718. The first was a crude wooden structure in the early days of the colony. Construction of a larger brick and timber church was begun in 1725 and was completed in 1727. Along with numerous other buildings, the church was destroyed in the Great New Orleans Fire (1788) on Good Friday, March 21, 1788. The cornerstone of a new church was laid in 1789 and the building was completed in 1794. In 1793 Saint Louis Church was elevated to cathedral rank as the See of the Diocese of New Orleans, making it one of the oldest cathedrals in the United States. In 1819, a central tower with the clock and bell was added.