The History of the Jesuits in New Orleans

In 1682 La Salle claimed the Territory of Louisiana for France. At that time France sent missionaries to explore and set up a mission in the Mississippi valley.

In 1718 Jean Pierre Lemoine Sieur de Bienville founded New Orleans. Bienville was very fond of the Jesuits so in 1720 a Jesuit priest was sent as emissary of King Louis XV to report on the general conditions of the colony, both temporal and spiritual.

King Louis gave the Company of the West the right to develop the Louisiana Territory. In 1725 the Jesuits entered into a contract with the Company of the West to take care of the Indians in the Louisiana Territory.

The Jesuits were given a home in the heart of the French Quarter. But they soon outgrew this residence. Bienville had served as governor for three terms and was being called back to France. Before he departed, Bienville gave the Jesuit priests the land which was located two blocks upriver from the French Quarter. The so called “Jesuit Plantation” covered what is now the Central Business District (CBD) of New Orleans, which includes the property we are standing on today. The Jesuit priests and brothers managed the land, on which they grew sugar, tobacco and oranges.

In 1763 all was not well in France. The Kingdoms of Spain, Portugal and France resented papal supervision of the Church in their countries. The Jesuits maintained a strong loyalty to Rome and the Pope. Bitter hatred developed for the Jesuits, which would lead to the suppression of the Society of Jesus throughout the world. At this time the newly appointed governor of the territory, Governor Abadie, arrived with a document that would wreck the work of the Jesuits in the Mississippi Territory. The Supreme Council of Louisiana imitated the mother country and suppressed the Jesuits in the Colony. They added local flavor to the accusations by claiming the Jesuits had not taken care of their missions, they had thought only of improving their plantation and that they had taken over the powers of the Vicar-General.

All the property possessed by the Fathers, except their personal belongings, were seized and sold at auction. The sacred plate and vestments of the chapel were given to the Capuchin friars. Every Jesuit priest and brother was ordered back to France. Within ten years, the Jesuits had been suppressed throughout the world; at this time only Russia would allow the Jesuits to remain in their country. It wasn’t until 1814 that the universal restoration of the Jesuits occurred.

Seventy-three years later in 1837, eight Jesuit priests arrived in New Orleans. They were brought here by the request of Reverend Anthony Blanc, Bishop of New Orleans, for the sake of educating the young men of Louisiana. Thus, the Jesuits started a college at Grand Coteau, which is in southwest Louisiana between Opelousas and Lafayette.

Nine years later, the Jesuits from Lyons, France, purchased this plot of land on which we are standing for $22,000. This is the second time the Jesuits took ownership of this same piece of property. They erected two buildings, which were to serve as a chapel, a residence and a college. The legal foundation of The College of the Immaculate Conception was in 1847. The first mass was offered on August 15, 1857.

Fr. John Cambiaso, who was responsible for the plans and construction of the original church, came to New Orleans as an official representative of the Superior for the Province of Lyons. Fr. Cambiaso was born in Lyons to a noble family and received his early education at the Jesuit College in Lyons. At 19 he entered the Society of Jesus, then became a teacher and taught in colleges around the world. While living in Spain, Fr. Cambiaso became a great admirer of Moorish architecture. He therefore designed this church in the same graceful style.

The Moorish Kingdoms, which are of the Moslem religion, and the Arab people, took over much of Spain in 711. The re-conquest of Spain by the Christians started in 718, but it wasn’t until 1491 that the Christians were victorious over the Moorish Kingdoms. Because the Moorish Kingdoms were in control of Spain for nearly seven hundred years, their culture and architecture were a part of Spain and her people. Notice the Islamic design in the domes and architecture of the church.

This lot on which the church is built still bore traces of what the city once was when the city was first founded; a water-covered cypress swamp. It was the natural habitat of alligators, herons and muskrats. It had to be drained inch-by-inch, foot-by-foot. The foundation that Fr. Cambiaso built was a double row of large red cedar planks, over which was laid a layer of oyster shells embedded in strong mortar and reinforced with iron bars. Over it was built a wall five to seven feet wide built with fire-bricks and indestructible mortar. Unfortunately the foundations were too narrow and not of the snow-shoe construction required in soft soil. When the church edifice began to rise and the third story was reached, substantial changes had to be made in its construction in order to reduce the weight. Therefore the upper story of the church was built of picked cypress wood lined with strong wrought iron bars, and the roof and side elevations were covered with copper laid on iron rods.

Fr. Cambiaso’s church lasted for 71 years. In 1928 the original church was deemed structurally unsafe because of the building of the Pere Marquette Building adjacent to the church. At this time a plot of land was purchased on Carrollton Avenue on which was built the Jesuit College, now known as Jesuit High School.

The construction of the Pere Marquette Building took a toll on Immaculate Conception Church -- shaking the foundation of the Church so that half of the columns in the rear moved forward a full inch, the wall on the uptown side lifted one inch, the tile floor in the rear lifted by an inch and the marble split in several places. The windows also were jammed shut. An architect was consulted and still more movement was measured within the structure. The old church withstood the pile driving for the Pere Marquette building, as well as the extra 500 piles for the garage that was built behind the church. However, the blasting of dynamite half a block away for the Canal Bank Building finally rendered the church useless.

Fr. Cambiaso’s church had to be taken down brick by brick. A diary was kept on the activities of dismantling which mentions the removal of the pews, the bare altar, and the historic organ. But the most heartfelt entry, filled with the greatest sorrow, was the removal of the statue of Our Lady which stood in the niche high above the main altar. It was written, “The historic statue of Our Immaculate Mother that has stood for over half a century in the resplendent niche above the golden altar is taken down today, July 26, 1928. The workmen laid it on a little truck and rolled it to a storage place next door. The scene was very sad and looked like a depressing funeral. I pray that our glorious Queen of Earth and Heaven may soon rise again and be placed on a throne more beautiful than the one from which she has just been removed, owing to dire necessity”. Demolition was completed at the end of September of 1928, and new construction began on October 26, 1928.

At the point at which the initial pile was driven, a hole was bored, into which a statue of Christ the King was placed. The hole was plugged and covered with an iron cap to prevent injury to the statue. The second pile has a statue of the Immaculate Conception. The third of St. Joseph, the fourth has St. Louis the patron of the Archdiocese and the fifth is of St. Ignatius.

The cornerstone was laid on May 16, 1929. The magnificent bronze doors were placed in position on February 4, 1930. Our Lady of Immaculate Conception was placed back in her niche on February 6, 1930. The altar was replaced, the organ reconstructed and the pews put back in position by February 17, 1930.

Mass was said in the new Immaculate Conception Church on March 2, 1930. There was a solemn dedication of the church by Archbishop Shaw.

The Church

Bronze Doors
The doors were designed in the Moorish geometric architecture. They weight 1,500 pound each.

St.Patrick
St. Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland. At the age of 16 he was sold into slavery by a group of Irish marauders that raided his village. He escaped from slavery after six years and went to Gaul where he studied in a monastery. During his training he became aware that his calling was to convert the pagans to Christianity. St. Patrick used the three-leafed shamrock to explain the Trinity.

St. Peter and St. Anthony
St. Anthony’s statue guards the poor box. This box often reflects the good fortune of racetrack devotees. St. Anthony also, is the saint to whom we pray in order to find lost articles.

St. Peter is made of bronze and is a smaller replica of the statue in St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. The statue’s foot is worn down because of the devotions of many who wish to touch it. The same is true of the statue in Rome.

Holy Water Fonts
The four angels holding the bowls of Holy Water were installed in 1933. Their facial features were modeled after the family members of Father Facundus G. Carbajal, S.J., who was pastor at the time.

Baptismal Fountain
When baptized we become members of Christ’s Body and are adopted children of God. Every time we enter the church we bless ourselves with the Holy Water and make the sign of the Cross which signifies the sign of the Holy Trinity, a sign of salvation, a renewal of our baptismal promise to the Lord. Notice the mosaic icons. The three-leaf clover represents the trinity, the butterfly represents new life and the perpetual flame represents eternal life with God.

Columns
The columns have the same geometric shapes as the bronze doors. The bottom half of the columns have eight angels. One is of the Archangel Michael. Michael is one of the principal angels; his name, which means “Who is like God” was the war-cry of the good angels in the battle fought in heaven against the enemy.

The other seven are guardian angels of the Church, which represent the seven Churches of Asia according to St. John in the Book of Revelation.

Mosaic Shrines
The two mosaic shrines, which were made in Italy in 1930 at a cost of $5,000 each, are of our Heavenly Queen, Mary. One recalls the devotion to Mary under the title of Our Lady of Perpetual Help. The Perpetual Help story is the story of a picture of Mary and her Divine Son, our Redeemer, and of the devotion to them which developed around it. Jesus is seen as preoccupied even from his youngest days with the price he would one day pay in his Passion for our salvation, and Mary is seen as his compassionate Mother. The second is of Our Lady of Prompt Succor (Our Lady of Immediate Aid, Our Lady of Instant Help). On two separate occasions prayerful appeal were made to Mary under the title of Our Lady of Prompt Succor, and both were granted. The first was to save the Ursuline Convent from a fire in 1788. The second was to beg for an American victory over the British during the Battle of New Orleans in 1815.

Pews
The pews are of cast iron, adorned with many artistic designs which are symbolic of the scriptural references to Our Blessed Lady: the Morning Star, House of Gold, Gate of Heaven, the tree of life, the lily and Ark of the Covenant.

Stained Glass Windows
There are three levels of these windows, the most ornate and valuable being on the first floor. These represent various scenes and events in the early history of the Society of Jesus. Included in the work are the North American Martyrs. These stained glass windows were crafted in Munich, Germany.

The balcony level depicts images and symbols of 36 saints. A veritable litany of well known and not so well known saints adorns the balcony level.

The third level of stained glass windows are simply colored without images of persons on them except for the six above Mary’s niche. These are five artistic representations dealing with the Blessed Virgin.

The first displays the Annunciation of Mary: the angel announced to Mary that she is to be the mother of the Redeemer. The second portrays the expulsion of Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden. But above that sad scene is the representation of Mary crushing the head of a serpent. The next is of the Assumption of Mary’s Body into Heaven without going through the process of bodily decay. Then we have Mary being crowned as Queen of Heaven. The fifth and sixth are of Mary at the foot of her Son’s cross.

Eight Jesuit Saints
Over the exit doors up by the altar, there are two small windows over each door. They are four of the Jesuits who are in the group of North American Martyrs. The remaining four are up in the choir loft below the large crucifix. The presence of these North American Martyrs in this configuration of embracing all other Jesuit saints is significant because of their martyrdom on this continent.

Mary’s Niche
Mary’s statue is solid marble. She was hand carved by Denis Foyatier, who carved Our Lady out of the purest marble. The statue of Mary stands there in the serene simplicity like a mother beckoning her children to come closer and to be in peace. The statue is bathed in light with a beautiful gold background.

The Apostles
The two greatest Apostles, Peter and Paul, are flanked on each side by Matthew and Mark and Luke and John, the evangelists associated with the gospels. All six statues are looking down upon the church.

The height of the dome is one hundred and eight feet.

Four Saints Under Mary’s Niche
St. Ignatius - The founder of the order of the Society of Jesus
St. Aloysius – Patron of youth, devoted to the care of the sick
St. Stanislaus – A model and mirror of religious perfection
St. Francis Xavier – Great missionary to India and Japan

The Main Altar
This altar was built in 1867 of gilded bronze and won first prize in the Paris Exposition of 1867. The altar was designed by James Freret of New Orleans, but was constructed in Lyons, France. There are more than 600 pieces to this altar. The Moorish domes on top of the altar as well as the miter-shaped arches all harmonize perfectly with the architecture of the entire building.

Altar of Sacrifice
A very recent addition is the smaller altar on which Mass is offered. The hand-carved design on the front of this smaller altar suggests the elements of the Holy Sacrifice: wheat, bread, grapes, and wine – all symbols of the Eucharist.

Stations of the Cross
There are 18 Stations of the Cross, whereas most churches around the world have only 14. Added in the beginning are the Agony in the Garden and then the Crowning with Thorns, after which comes the usual 14 Stations. After the station of the Burial in the Tomb, there are the Resurrection and then the Ascension into Heaven. These stations date back to 1850.

Under the first two stations is a very large stained glass window depicting the Lord’s revelation of His heart on fire to the Visitation nun, Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque. Present also in the scene are Saint Claude de la Colombière, her Jesuit confessor; Pope Clement XIII, who approved the devotion; and the Mother of the Lord, represented as the Immaculate Heart, a heart also on fire with love for all people.

Right in front of the side altar next to the Lord’s revelation of His Heart window, is the statue of Our Lady of Fatima.

Under the last two stations is a window of Joseph. He is on his deathbed with Jesus kneeling on one side and Mary on the other. Also present is Joseph’s guardian angel.

There are three windows right behind the altar. The center portrays the resurrected Lord breaking bread with the two disciples at Emmaus. On the right is a knight kneeling on one knee and swearing allegiance to the Lord present in the sacramental species. The left shows a Jewish family offering a Pascal lamb to God.

At the entrance to the church, over the center doors, is an exquisite round window. This window, with semi-precious jewels embedded in it, depicts the face of Mary.

High over the choir loft is a window with the face of Our Lord. The sun-like rays of the window have various symbols of both the Lord and His Mother.

Zachary Taylor Bell
The bell was cast in New York in 1849 and presented to Zachary Taylor while he was President. In 1887 President Taylor’s granddaughters presented the bell to the Jesuit Church.

The majestic beauty of this church, coupled with the presence of the Lord and His Mother, lifts up everyone who enters. The words of Our Savior seem to be brought to fulfillment in this magnificent memorial to His Mother’s sinlessness, “Come to me all you who are weary and find life burdensome, and I will refresh you”. (Matthew: 11:28)