Jackson Square and the St. Louis Cathedral
Why is it significant?
Enter the wrought-iron gates of Jackson Square, the crowning civic, spiritual, and artistic forum of New Orleans.
Key Facts
| Place | Jackson Square and the St. Louis Cathedral |
|---|---|
| Address | 751 Decatur St, New Orleans, LA 70116, United States |
| Geo Coordinates | 29.95790, -90.06370 |
| Part of Walk | French Quarter, Creole Townhouses and Mississippi Riverfront: The Heart of New Orleans |
| Generated | Generated |
Enter the wrought-iron gates of Jackson Square, the crowning civic, spiritual, and artistic forum of New Orleans. Originally laid out in 1721 by French military engineer Adrien de Pauger as the colonial Place d'Armes, this two-and-a-half-acre formal parterre garden served as the military parade ground where royal soldiers mustered, public proclamations were read, and colonial flags were raised and lowered over three empires.
In the center of the square rears the dramatic bronze equestrian statue of General Andrew Jackson, sculpted in 1856 by Clark Mills. This monument achieved a world-famous technological breakthrough: Mills engineered the multi-ton bronze casting so that its entire weight was balanced entirely upon the horse's two rear hooves without any supporting central rods, a feat never before achieved in Western sculpture.
Facing the square rises the majestic white facade and triple spires of St. Louis Cathedral, the oldest continuously active Roman Catholic cathedral in the United States. Dedicated in 1794 and enlarged in 1850 by French architect J.N.B. de Pouilly, the cathedral features ceilings adorned with frescoes painted by artist Erasme Humbrecht in 1872. Jackson tips his bronze hat toward the church in victory, commemorating the January 8, 1815 Battle of New Orleans, where his diverse army of Tennessee frontiersmen, free men of color, Choctaw warriors, and Jean Lafitte's pirates routed veteran British invaders. Along the perimeter iron fence, local portrait artists, caricaturists, tarot readers, and jazz brass quartets create a continuous open-air bohemian carnival.
Standing in the center of the square looking up at the cathedral spires framed by palms, magnolias, and gas lamps, the timeless majesty of New Orleans surrounds you. Here, French royal ambition, Spanish governance, and American democracy intertwined to forge an unforgettable cultural identity.
Walk across the flagstone plaza to the arched colonnades of The Cabildo.