St. Alphonsus Church - New Orleans, LA
N 29° 55.792 W 090° 04.470
15R E 782418 N 3314612
Huge brick Catholic Church, it borders the "Irish Channel" area of New Orleans. Building and entire complex was in great condition.
Waymark Code: WM8NHF
Location: Louisiana, United States
Date Posted: 04/24/2010
Views: 4
Also a National Historic Landmark, St. Alphonsus Church was built between 1855 and 1857. All the building that make up this Catholic Parish are very close and the street is very narrow. It is a quite beautiful and large building, and the entire area was clean and a nice visit. Great history I found at the Louisiana Register website, located here, states: St. Mary's was established by the Redemptorist in 1844 soon after they came from
Baltimore to what was then the city of Lafayette (incorporated into the city of New Orleans in 1852).
In June 1848 the site of St. Alphonsus was purchased and a temporary frame church was
completed in 1851, facing St. Andrew street. In July 1851 Rev. John B. Duffy, CSSR arrived as
pastor. He soon had erected St. Alphonsus school and determined to build a new and larger church
for the growing English speaking segment of the parish.
While on a visit to Baltimore he evidently met the architect Louis L. Long who was at the
time completing the large Jesuit church of St. Ignatius in that city and was also erecting the tower of
St. Alphonsus, then the Baltimore Redemptorist church. Father Duffy obtained from Louis Long the
plans for St. Alphonsus in New Orleans, obviously based on Long's design of St. Ignatius' in
Baltimore. The cornerstone for the new church was laid on April 27, 1855 by Archbishop Antoine
Blanc, the first mass was celebrated on August 25, 1857 and the dedication ceremonies were held
on April 25, 1858 the day the cornerstone of St. Mary's across the street was laid. This building is an important example of mid-nineteenth century construction. It is a
significant monument both from an architectural and religious point of view. Many of the
Redemptorist priests who ministered to the people of this area are buried in the sanctuary of the
church, including Father Seelos whose remains were removed from St. Mary's when that church
was closed because of damage caused by hurricane Betsy in 1965. Fr. Seelos' life and works are
now being investigated with a view to his possible canonization as a saint of the Roman Catholic
Church. He was one of numerous Redemptorist priests who died in the Yellow Fever epidemics
which plagued the City of New Orleans in the nineteenth century.
Street address: 2029 Constance St. New Orleans, LA USA 70130
County / Borough / Parish: Orleans
Year listed: 1973
Historic (Areas of) Significance: Architecture/Engineering, Event
Periods of significance: 1850-1874
Historic function: Religion. Sub - Religious Structure
Current function: Religion. Sub - Religious Structure
Privately owned?: yes
Primary Web Site: [Web Link]
Secondary Website 1: [Web Link]
Season start / Season finish: Not listed
Hours of operation: Not listed
Secondary Website 2: Not listed
National Historic Landmark Link: Not listed
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Visit Instructions: Please give the date and brief account of your visit. Include any additional observations or information that you may have, particularly about the current condition of the site. Additional photos are highly encouraged, but not mandatory.
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