French Market and Place de France Joan of Arc Monument
Why is it significant?
Step beneath the sunlit Roman colonnades of the French Market, proudly recognized as the oldest continuously operating open-air public market in the United States.
Key Facts
| Place | French Market and Place de France Joan of Arc Monument |
|---|---|
| Address | 1008 N Peters St, New Orleans, LA 70116, United States |
| Geo Coordinates | 29.95920, -90.05900 |
| Part of Walk | French Quarter, Creole Townhouses and Mississippi Riverfront: The Heart of New Orleans |
| Generated | Generated |
Step beneath the sunlit Roman colonnades of the French Market, proudly recognized as the oldest continuously operating open-air public market in the United States. Established on this riverfront site in 1791 by Spanish colonial authorities who recognized an ancient Native American trading ground where Choctaw and Houma tribes had bartered fish, furs, and wild herbs for centuries, the market stretches for six vibrant city blocks along the Mississippi levee.
In the center of the adjacent Place de France glows the magnificent gilded bronze equestrian statue of Joan of Arc, the Maid of Orléans. Unveiled in New Orleans in 1972, this radiant sculpture is an exact bronze replica of Emmanuel Frémiet's celebrated 1874 monument on the Place des Pyramides in Paris, gifted to the city by the French Republic to honor the deep cultural kinship between France and its North American namesake.
Stroll along the Farmers Market and Flea Market sheds, where the air is rich with the irresistible aromas of boiling crawfish, Cajun spices, roasted pecans, and fresh Gulf oysters. In the nineteenth century, German farmers, Sicilian fruit vendors, and Choctaw women selling filé gumbo powder crowded these stone stalls under rustling awnings. The landmark Butcher's Market shed, designed in 1813 by municipal architect Jacques Tanesse in the neoclassical Tuscan order, features heavy stone pillars and cooling breezes sweeping in from the river. Just steps away, Cafe du Monde has been serving warm powdered beignets and chicory cafe au lait twenty-four hours a day since 1862.
The French Market is the living, breathing stomach and soul of New Orleans. Here, three centuries of global culinary traditions, river commerce, and immigrant enterprise blend in a vibrant festival of flavors and laughter.
Walk north along Ursulines Avenue into the elegant mansion quarter of Royal Street.