History
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History of our Church Parish
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About 1721, a group of German settlers established the second permanent settlement in Louisiana in an area now known as Lucy. This settlement became known as La Cote des Allemands or The German Coast. By 1724, a Catholic community had formed and a small chapel was built.
By 1769, Acadians had also settled in the area that then became known as the Second German Coast. These settlers wanted their own church and priest. In their search for land on which to build a church, they decided that Jacque DuBroc, a bachelor with no family responsibilities and who had 12 arpents of land (an arpent is about the same as an acre), should donate four arpents of this land to establish a church and cemetery. (This is the current location in Edgard.) They sent community member Michel Poche as their representative to the governing Spanish authority with this request. On February 21, 1770, the requested land was expropriated by the Spanish authority for establishing a church and cemetery.
In 1772, Spanish Capuchin Father Bernardo de Limpach arrived as the first pastor of this new church that carried the name of the original chapel, Saint Jean-Baptiste Des Allemands -- St. John the Baptist Church. We are fortunate that our church and cemetery records date back to our beginning in 1772. The current records format is not searchable, but efforts to develop searchable formats are underway. Our parish is the third oldest in the Archdiocese of New Orleans, with St. Louis Cathedral first (1718), and St. Charles Borromeo, Destrehan second (1723).
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History of our Church Buildings
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Our First Church
A small chapel was built in 1724 located in the area now known as Lucy and it was named Saint Jean-Baptiste Des Allemands - St. John the Baptist Church. Our first church was built on the four arpents of land that were expropriated from Jacque Dubroc in 1770 by the Spanish authority for establishing a church and cemetery in the location that later became known as Edgard, still our present-day location of our church parish. This first church carried the name of the original 1724 chapel. No picture or descriptive narrative of the chapel or this first church has yet been found. However, historical records describe that our first church was built of hand-hewn cypress trees harvested from the expropriated Dubroc land. Our church parish was established in 1772 and is the third oldest Catholic parish in the Archdiocese of New Orleans. The first pastor, Capuchin Father Bernardo de Limpack from Spain arrived in 1772. Records show that extensive repairs to the church were completed in 1793, our first church bells were acquired in 1795, and there is no record of the church having an organ. This first church stood in Edgard until 1821, when a flood caused by the Poche Crevasse swept it away. Historical records report that Father Vito Modestus Mina, then parish priest, witnessed first-hand its destruction. Some historical descriptions suggest that the church bells were recovered from the destroyed church, but records identified to date do not include any other visual or narrative descriptions of its bells or what happened to them.
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Our Second Church
Father Mina led the effort to build a new church in the same location as the first. This second church was constructed of handmade bricks, with a center wooden steeple. topped with a large copper ball and large iron cross. The steeple stood so high that it could be seen from across the Mississippi River and served as a landmark for travelers. The church was consecrated on March 17, 1822. A robbery occurred in 1837 and all vestments, ornaments, and sacred vessels were stolen. All of the items were replaced. Father Mina died in 1864 and was buried in a marble-topped floor vault before the altar railing.
In 1894, a new set of three bells were acquired and placed in a belfry separate from the church. Notice in the picture, the belfry is positioned to the left of the church building. The three bells were cast by the VanDusen and Tift foundry, Cincinnati, Ohio. Each bell was given a name as they were cast and baptized on April 29, 1894 by Reverend E. J. Lavaquery, the church pastor at the time. Inscribed on each bell is its name, baptismal date, and the names of the sponsors who donated money for its purchase, as follows: Johanna, largest bell weighing 3,500 pounds and sponsored by Mr. Emile Laurent and Mrs. O. Schenaydre nee Saraphine Wells; Mary, middle-sized, 2,500 pounds, sponsored by Mr Jerome L. Gaudel and Mrs. C. E. Gedron nee Marie A. Jacob; and Josephina, smallest, 1,500 poinds, sponsored by Mr. Ambroise E. Leger and Miss Clemence Marie Raynaud. Records show that the 100-year anniversary of the first church bells acquired in 1795 occurred in December 1895; however, what happened to those bells is not known.
On March 19, 1918, the 96-year-old church was completely destroyed by fire. Father Theophile Stenmans, then parish priest, arrived at the site just as the center steeple collapsed. Because the bells were in a separate belfry, they were recovered. Church records dating back to the beginning of the parish in 1772 were stored at the time in the belfry and also saved from destruction. Father Stenmans and the dedicated parish community began immediately to rebuild.
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Our Third and Current Church
Construction of a new church begun in 1918 is still our present-day building. At time of construction, it was built at a cost of $146,000 (In 2020, equivalent to $2,520,000), debt-free, and consecrated on October 28, 1920. The recovered bells were placed in the bell tower, located in this picture as the left tower of the church. The gilded cast iron statue of the Sacred Heart of Jesus that stands in front of the church was erected in 1927.
As represented in the picture, the church is of Roman Renaissance style and designed by the Favrot and Lividais, Ltd. Architects of New Orleans. The building is 143 feet long, 60 feet wide and seats 500 people. The twin towers are 92 feet high and the interior ceiling is 55 feet high. The church sanctuary is 35 feet long, made of reinforced concrete and topped with a marble tile floor. The altars and communioin rails are made of white Carrara marble, imported from Italy. Stain glass windows were made in Munich, Germany. The pipe organ in the church loft was acquired in 1921, manufactured by the Hinners Organ Company and built like the organs in Europe as early as 1390. Ornate and detailed paintings adorn the church sanctuary, walls, ceilings, and columns. The church houses 19 statues and three marble altars: sanctuary altar and two side altars - Blessed Virgin Mary, Sacred Heart of Jesus. All 19 statues and the three altars were completely restored in 2020 by Ms. Belinda Godfrey, third-generation artist ofo Godfrey Ecclesiastical Art.
On August 29, 2021, our area suffered a direct hit by Hurricane Ida, resulting in extensive damage to the exterior and interior structures of our church building. Efforts are still underway to repair and restore our beautiful and historic church.
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History of our Cemetery and Records
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Our church cemetery is one of the oldest in Louisiana, created on February 21, 1770. At the request of the local Catholic community, Spanish governor O'Reilly expropriated four arpents of land (nearly four acres) from Jacque Dubroc to build a church and cemetery. Our records document that burials in this cemetery began shortly after the church was erected in 1772. Our records also show that among those buried are 45 patriots of the Revolutionary War who fought for America's independence under the leadership of Spanish governor Bernardo de Gálvez. However, only five of these Patriot graves remain intact today, as the Mississippi River levee was relocated in 1881 taking over a portion of the cemetery in which these burial sites were located. Heroes from every major American conflict are buried in this cemetery. We are fortunate to still have these records that date back to 1772, but at present they are not searchable. Efforts are underway to create a searchable database to support historical and geneological studies.
The cemetery has been expanded over recent decades with mausoleum crypts. Currently, an additional expansion of the mausoleum is underway to meet the increasing needs of our community. Information about availability for burials and this new expansion may be obtained by contacting our Parish Office (985-497-3412, [email protected]).
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