Saint Augustine Catholic Church and Tomb of the Unknown Slave
Why is it significant?
You stand before the solemn, historic facade of Saint Augustine Catholic Church at the corner of Governor Nicholls and Saint Claude Streets.
Key Facts
| Place | Saint Augustine Catholic Church and Tomb of the Unknown Slave |
|---|---|
| Address | 1210 Gov Nicholls St, New Orleans, LA 70116, United States |
| Geo Coordinates | 29.96480, -90.07100 |
| Part of Walk | Tremé, Congo Square and Armstrong Park: The African American Cradle of Jazz |
| Generated | Generated |
You stand before the solemn, historic facade of Saint Augustine Catholic Church at the corner of Governor Nicholls and Saint Claude Streets. Dedicated in October 1842 under the leadership of Father Jean-Marie Odin, Saint Augustine is celebrated throughout the world as the oldest predominantly African American Catholic parish church in the United States, founded by free people of color who purchased pews specifically for enslaved churchgoers.
Look into the peaceful side courtyard: resting upon the ground is the poignant "Tomb of the Unknown Slave," an unforgettable civil rights monument dedicated in 2004, constructed from heavy rusted marine anchor chains welded into the shape of a colossal Christian cross.
Shackles, leg irons, and iron balls are attached to the chains, commemorating the millions of unnamed African men, women, and children who suffered and died in chattel slavery without grave markers or memorial ceremonies. In the 1840s, free women and men of color raised thousands of dollars to construct this church on land formerly belonging to Tremé plantation founder Claude Tremé. When the church opened, these free people of color purchased three side pews in perpetuity and declared them free of charge for any enslaved person who wished to worship, creating the first deliberately integrated Catholic congregation in the American South. In 1892, Homer Plessy was a dedicated parishioner here when the church's Comité des Citoyens, or Citizens' Committee, organized his civil rights legal test case against racial segregation.
Gazing upon the chain-link cross of the Tomb of the Unknown Slave as church bells toll across the Tremé rooftops, you feel a profound sense of sacred reverence. Saint Augustine stands as an immortal monument to faith, freedom, and civil rights resistance.
Walk north along Saint Philip Street to the vibrant Backstreet Cultural Museum.