All Saints Day in New Orleans -- Decorating the Tombs

Saint Louis Cemetery (, ) is the name of three

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

cemeteries A cemetery, burial ground, gravesite, graveyard, or a green space called a memorial park or memorial garden, is a place where the remains of many dead people are buried or otherwise entombed. The word ''cemetery'' (from Greek ) implies th ...

New Orleans, Louisiana New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

. Most of the graves are above-ground vaults constructed in the 18th and 19th centuries. Cemeteries No. 1 and No. 2 are included on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

and the

Louisiana African American Heritage Trail Louisiana African American Heritage Trail () is a cultural heritage trail with 38 sites designated by the state of Louisiana, from New Orleans along the Mississippi River to Baton Rouge and Shreveport, with sites in small towns and plantations als ...

Saint Louis No. 1

St. Louis Cemetery No. 1 is the oldest and among the most prominent cemeteries in

New Orleans New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

. It was opened in 1789, replacing the city's older St. Peter Cemetery (; no longer in existence) as the main burial ground when the city was redesigned after a fire in 1788. It is 8 blocks from the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the main stem, primary river of the largest drainage basin in the United States. It is the second-longest river in the United States, behind only the Missouri River, Missouri. From its traditional source of Lake Ita ...

, on the north side of

Basin Street Basin Street or Rue Bassin in French, is a street in New Orleans, Louisiana. It parallels Rampart Street one block lakeside, or inland, from the boundary of the French Quarter, running from Canal Street down 5 blocks past Saint Louis Cemetery. ...

, one block beyond the inland border of the

French Quarter The French Quarter, also known as the (; ; ), 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 ("Old Square" in English), a ...

. It borders the former

Iberville Projects Iberville Projects was a neighborhood in the city of New Orleans and one of the low-income Housing Projects of New Orleans. The Iberville was the last of the New Deal-era public housing remaining in the city. Its boundaries were St. Louis Stree ...

. It has been in continuous use since its foundation. The nonprofit group Save Our Cemeteries and commercial businesses offer tours for a fee. Notable New Orleanians buried in St. Louis No. 1 include Etienne de Boré, a wealthy pioneer of the sugar industry and the first mayor of New Orleans;

Homer Plessy Homer Adolph Plessy (born Homère Patris Plessy; 1858, 1862 or March 17, 1863 – March 1, 1925) was an American shoemaker and activist who was the plaintiff in the United States Supreme Court decision '' Plessy v. Ferguson''. He staged an act of ...

, the plaintiff from the landmark 1896 ''

Plessy v. Ferguson ''Plessy v. Ferguson'', 163 U.S. 537 (1896), was a landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision ruling that racial segregation laws did not violate the U.S. Constitution as long as the facilities for each race were equal in quality, a doctrine that ...

Supreme Court In most legal jurisdictions, a supreme court, also known as a court of last resort, apex court, high (or final) court of appeal, and court of final appeal, is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...

decision on civil rights. Ernest N. "Dutch" Morial, the first

African-American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from any of the Black racial groups of Africa. ...

mayor of New Orleans The post of Mayor of the City of New Orleans () has been held by the following individuals since New Orleans came under American administration following the Louisiana Purchase — the 1803 acquisition by the U.S. of of the French province '' ...

was interred there in 1989. Subsequently, Morial's family built a new family tomb at St. Louis Cemetery No. 3, and Morial's body was reinterred there in late 2014. Notable creole author and educator

Alexander Dimitry Alexander Dimitry (February 7, 1805 – January 30, 1883) was an American author, diplomat, educator, journalist, lawyer, orator, and publicist. He was the first state superintendent of public instruction in Louisiana and represented the United ...

is buried at Saint Louis Cemetery Number One. Most of the Dimitry family is interred there including;

Andrea Dimitry Andrea Dimitry (January 1775 – March 1, 1852), also known as Andrea Drussakis Dimitry, was a Greek refugee who emigrated to New Orleans (in Spanish colonial Louisiana) and became a merchant. He married Marianne Céleste Dragon, a Louisiana C ...

and his wife Marianne Celeste Dragon.

Marianne Céleste Dragon Marie Celeste Dragon (1777–1856) was a prominent Creole of color land owner during the Spanish Louisiana period, also known for her portrait by José Francisco Xavier de Salazar y Mendoza. She was the wife of Andrea Dimitry; they were an in ...

was the subject of a famous portrait painted by José Salazar. The cemetery inspired an Alkemia Perfumes' scent of the same name, which is described as "An atmospheric brooding of Spanish moss, crumbling stone, old cement, red clay brick, and graveyard dirt." The renowned

Voodoo Voodoo may refer to: Religions * West African Vodún, a religion practiced by Gbe-speaking ethnic groups * African diaspora religions, a list of related religions sometimes called Vodou/Voodoo ** Candomblé Jejé, also known as Brazilian Vodu ...

priestess

Marie Laveau Marie Catherine Laveau (September 10, 1801 – June 15, 1881)''Marie Laveau The Mysterious Voodoo Queen: A Study of Powerful Female Leadership in Nineteenth-Century New Orleans'' by Ina Johanna Fandrich was a Louisiana Creole practitioner of ...

is believed to be interred in the Glapion family crypt. Other notable New Orleanians here include

Bernard de Marigny Jean-Bernard Xavier Philippe de Marigny de Mandeville (1785–1868), known as Bernard de Marigny, was a French- Creole American nobleman, playboy, planter, politician, duelist, writer, horse breeder, land developer, and President of the Louisian ...

, the French-Creole aristocrat and politician who founded both the

Faubourg Marigny The Faubourg Marigny ( ; sometimes called The Marigny) is a Neighborhoods in New Orleans, neighborhood of the city of New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. Its boundaries, as defined by the City Planning Commission, are Rampart Street, North R ...

and

Mandeville, Louisiana Mandeville is a city in St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, its population was 13,192. Mandeville is located on the north shore of Lake Pontchartrain, south of Interstate 12. It is located direct ...

;

Barthelemy Lafon Barthélemy Lafon (1769–1820) was a notable French architect, engineer, city planner, and surveyor in New Orleans, Louisiana. He appears to have had a double life, as a respectable architect, engineer, and citizen; but also as a privateer, smugg ...

, the architect and surveyor who allegedly became one of Jean Lafitte's pirates; and

Paul Morphy Paul Charles Morphy (June 22, 1837July 10, 1884) was an American chess player. During his brief career in the late 1850s, Morphy was acknowledged as the world's greatest chess master. A prodigy, Morphy emerged onto the chess scene in 1857 ...

, one of the earliest world champions of chess.

Delphine LaLaurie Marie Delphine Macarty or MacCarthy (March 19, 1787 – December 7, 1849), more commonly known as Madame Blanque or, after her third marriage, as Madame LaLaurie, was a New Orleans socialite and serial killer who tortured and murdered Histo ...

, the notoriously cruel slave owner, is also believed to lie in rest here. Architect and engineer

Benjamin Latrobe Benjamin Henry Boneval Latrobe (May 1, 1764 – September 3, 1820) was a British-American neoclassical architect who immigrated to the United States. He was one of the first formally trained, professional architects in the new United States, dr ...

was buried at St. Louis No. 1 after dying from yellow fever in 1820, while doing engineering for the New Orleans water works. In 2010, actor

Nicolas Cage Nicolas Kim Coppola (born January 7, 1964), known professionally as Nicolas Cage, is an American actor and film producer. He is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Nicolas Cage, various accolades, including an Academy A ...

purchased a pyramid-shaped tomb to be his future final resting place. The cemetery spans just one square block but is the resting place of many thousands. A Protestant section (generally not vaulted) lies in the northwest section. Effective March 1, 2015, the

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New Orleans The Archdiocese of New Orleans (; ; ) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical division of the Catholic Church spanning Jefferson (except Grand Isle), Orleans, Plaquemines, St. Bernard, St. Charles, St. John the Baptist, St. Tammany, and Washingt ...

, which owns and manages this cemetery, has closed it to the general public, ostensibly because of the rise in vandalism there. However, in a controversial move, the diocese is now charging tour companies for access ($4,500 per year, or lesser amounts for short periods). Families who own tombs can apply for a pass to visit.

Saint Louis No. 2

St. Louis No. 2 is located some three blocks back from St. Louis No. 1, bordering

Claiborne Avenue Claiborne Avenue is a major thoroughfare in New Orleans, Louisiana. It runs the length of the city, about , beginning at the Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, Jefferson Parish line and ending at the St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana, St. Bernard Parish ...

. It was consecrated in 1823. A number of notable

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

and

rhythm & blues Rhythm and blues, frequently abbreviated as R&B or R'n'B, is a genre of popular music that originated within African American communities in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predomina ...

musicians are buried here, including

Danny Barker Daniel Moses Barker (January 13, 1909 – March 13, 1994) was an American jazz musician, vocalist, and author from New Orleans. He was a rhythm guitarist for Cab Calloway, Lucky Millinder and Benny Carter during the 1930s. One of Barker's earli ...

and

Ernie K-Doe Ernest Kador Jr. (February 22, 1933 – July 5, 2001), known by the stage name Ernie K-Doe, was an American rhythm and blues, R&B singer best known for his 1961 hit single "Mother-in-Law (song), Mother-in-Law", which went to number 1 on the ''Bi ...

. Also entombed here is Andre Cailloux (1825–1863), African-American Union hero and martyr of the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

. The cemetery received minor flooding during the aftermath of

Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Katrina was a powerful, devastating and historic tropical cyclone that caused 1,392 fatalities and damages estimated at $125 billion in late August 2005, particularly in the city of New Orleans and its surrounding area. ...

, and its tombs seemed virtually untouched by the storm when the water went down, aside from the brownish waterline visible on all structures that were flooded. There are many notable citizens of 19th and 20th century New Orleans laid to rest here. These include the Venerable Mother

Henriette DeLille Henriette Díaz DeLille, SSF (March 11, 1813 – November 17, 1862) was a Louisiana Creole of color and Catholic religious sister from New Orleans. She founded the Sisters of the Holy Family in 1836 and served as their first Mother Superior. ...

, who is a candidate for

sainthood In Christian belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and denomination. In Anglican, Oriental Orth ...

by the Catholic Church,

Rodolphe Desdunes Rodolphe Lucien Desdunes (; November 15, 1849 – August 14, 1928) was a Louisiana Creole civil rights activist, poet, historian, journalist, and customs officer primarily active in New Orleans, Louisiana. In Louisiana, Desdunes served as a mili ...

(1849–1928) and Jean Baptiste Dupeire (1795–1874) prominent citizen of New Orleans, among others. It was listed on the

in 1975. Other politicians and soldiers interred/entombed here: *

Jacques Villeré Jacques Philippe Villeré (April 28, 1761 – March 7, 1830) was the second Governor of Louisiana after it became a state. He was the first Creole and the first native of Louisiana to hold that office. Early life He was born in 1761 near prese ...

(1761–1830) of St. Bernard Parish, La. Second

Governor of Louisiana The governor of Louisiana (; ) is the chief executive of the U.S. state government of Louisiana. The governor also serves as the commander in chief of the Louisiana National Guard. Republican Jeff Landry has held the office since January 8, ...

after statehood, commander of the 1st Division, La. State Militia, at the

Battle of New Orleans The Battle of New Orleans was fought on January 8, 1815, between the British Army under Major General Sir Edward Pakenham and the United States Army under Brevet Major General Andrew Jackson, roughly 5 miles (8 km) southeast of the Frenc ...

. *

Oscar Dunn Oscar James Dunn (1822 – November 22, 1871) served as Lieutenant Governor of Louisiana during the era of Reconstruction and was the first African American to act as lieutenant governor of a U.S. state. He was also the first African-America ...

(1826–1871) Emancipated from slavery as a child, he became the first elected black lieutenant governor of a U.S. state. *

Pierre Soulé Pierre Soulé (August 31, 1801March 26, 1870) was a French-born American attorney, politician, and diplomat in the mid-19th century. Database at Serving as a U.S. senator from Louisiana from 1849 to 1853, he was nominated that year as U.S. Min ...

(1801–1870) of New Orleans, Orleans Parish, La. Born in France. Member of Louisiana state senate, 1845; U.S. Senator from Louisiana, 1847, 1849–53; U.S. Minister to Spain, 1853–55; officer in the Confederate Army during the Civil War. Died in New Orleans. *

Charles Genois Charles Genois (c. 1793 – August 30, 1866) was the Mayor of New Orleans from May 1838 to May 1840. Genois's brief tenure has been characterized as feeble because of an economically stagnant period which followed the boom of his predecessor's ...

(c. 1793–1866) of New Orleans, Orleans Parish, La. Whig Mayor of New Orleans, La., 1838–1840. * Robert Brown Elliott (1842–1884), also known as R. B. Elliott, of South Carolina. Born in Massachusetts, 1842. Republican. Delegate to Republican National Convention from South Carolina, 1868 (alternate), 1880; member of South Carolina state legislature; U.S. Representative from South Carolina 3rd District, 1871–1875. Black. *

Paul Capdevielle Paul Capdevielle (January 15, 1842 – August 14, 1922) was an American politician who was mayor of New Orleans, Louisiana, from May 9, 1900, to December 5, 1904. Biography Of French descent, he was educated at the Jesuit College of Ne ...

(1844–1922) of New Orleans, Orleans Parish, La. Born in New Orleans, Orleans Parish, La. Mayor of New Orleans, La., 1900–1904. Died in Bay St. Louis, Hancock County, Mississippi. * Carleton Hunt (1836–1921) of Louisiana. Born in New Orleans, Orleans Parish, La. Nephew of Theodore Gaillard Hunt. Democrat. Served in the Confederate Army during the Civil War; U.S. Representative from Louisiana 1st District, 1883–85. *

Ignacy Szymański Ignatius Constantine Romuald Szymanski Vandernoot or Ignacy Szymański or Ignatius Szymanski (1806–1874), nicknamed ''Colonel Ski'' or ''Old Ski'', was a Polish war hero and American soldier. He served in the Confederate States Army during the ...

(1806–1874) was a Polish and American soldier. Born in New Orleans. He served in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. He was appointed to colonel of Chalmette Regiment, mainly made of Scandinavian immigrants from the Louisiana State Militia. * Dominique You (or Youx) (c. 1775–1830) was a former privateer and

veteran. *

Pierre Nord Alexis Pierre Nord Alexis (; 2 August 1820 – 1 May 1910) was President of Haiti from 17 December 1902 to 2 December 1908. Early life He was the son of a high-ranking official in the regime of Henri Christophe, and Blézine Georges, Christophe's ille ...

(1820–1910) was the President of Haiti from December 1902 until December 1908. He seized power with the help of the United States, and declared himself "President for Life" at age 87 in January 1908, and was exiled in December of that year.

Saint Louis No. 3

St. Louis No. 3 is located approximately away from the French Quarter, some 30 blocks from the Mississippi River, fronting Esplanade Avenue near Bayou St. John. (Coordinates: .) It opened in 1854. The

crypt A crypt (from Greek κρύπτη (kryptē) ''wikt:crypta#Latin, crypta'' "Burial vault (tomb), vault") is a stone chamber beneath the floor of a church or other building. It typically contains coffins, Sarcophagus, sarcophagi, or Relic, religiou ...

s on average are more elaborate than at the other St. Louis cemeteries, including a number of fine 19th century

marble Marble is a metamorphic rock consisting of carbonate minerals (most commonly calcite (CaCO3) or Dolomite (mineral), dolomite (CaMg(CO3)2) that have recrystallized under the influence of heat and pressure. It has a crystalline texture, and is ty ...

tombs. Those entombed include

ragtime Ragtime, also spelled rag-time or rag time, is a musical style that had its peak from the 1890s to 1910s. Its cardinal trait is its Syncopation, syncopated or "ragged" rhythm. Ragtime was popularized during the early 20th century by composers ...

composer

Paul Sarebresole Paul Sarebresole (May 1875 - October 3, 1911) was an early composer of ragtime music. Sarebresole was born in New Orleans, Louisiana. His French ancestors spelled the family name "Sarrebresolles". His "Roustabout Rag", published in 1897 by Grue ...

, photographer E. J. Bellocq, and painter

Ralston Crawford Ralston Crawford (1906–1978) was a Canadian-born American painter, lithographer, photographer, and teacher. He is best known for his abstract representations of urban life and industry. He taught at the Cincinnati Art Academy (now Art Academy ...

. Another to be entombed here is

Sweet Emma Barrett "Sweet Emma" Barrett (March 25, 1897, New Orleans, Louisiana – January 28, 1983) was an American self-taught jazz pianist and singer who worked with the Original Tuxedo Orchestra between 1923 and 1936, first under Papa Celestin, then William R ...

897–1983 a self-taught jazz piano player and singer. New Orleans mayor Ernest N. "Dutch" Morial was reinterred at St. Louis Cemetery No. 3 in a new tomb for the Morial family. St. Louis No. 3 also includes a

Greek Orthodox Greek Orthodox Church (, , ) is a term that can refer to any one of three classes of Christian Churches, each associated in some way with Greek Christianity, Levantine Arabic-speaking Christians or more broadly the rite used in the Eastern Rom ...

section. The cemetery was heavily flooded during the aftermath of

in 2005, but its tombs escaped relatively unscathed. There was some plaster damage from debris.

References

External links

* *
Saint Louis Cemetery #1
at New Orleans Catholic Cemeteries
St. Louis Cemetery #2
at New Orleans Catholic Cemeteries
St. Louis Cemetery #3
at New Orleans Catholic Cemeteries * * * {{Authority control African-American history in New Orleans Cemeteries on the National Register of Historic Places in Louisiana Roman Catholic cemeteries in Louisiana Cemeteries in New Orleans Louisiana African American Heritage Trail Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Louisiana Cemeteries established in the 1820s 1823 establishments in Louisiana National Register of Historic Places in New Orleans African-American cemeteries in Louisiana

Saint Louis No. 1

Saint Louis No. 2

Saint Louis No. 3

See also

References

External links