New Orleans, one of America’s most unique cities, is celebrated for its multilingual heritage, its roots in jazz music and of course the world famous Mardi Gras. The Vieux Carré, or French Quarter, is the oldest neighborhood in New Orleans with 85 blocks designated as a National Historic Landmark. On any day the French Quarter is alive with a steady flow of tourists enjoying the crowded streets, the clip-clop sounds of carriages, cathedral bells, haunting blues from Bourbon Street, and the smells of Creole and Cajun cooking in the air.
   Holding on to European tradition, Cathedral-Basilica of St. Louis King of France dominates the center of town. Facing the French Quarter’s Jackson Square and the Mississippi River, the church ranks as the oldest continual operating Roman Catholic cathedral in America. Church buildings on this site date back to 1718, following the town’s initial layout of a grid work of city streets. Today’s cathedral, reconstructed in 1850, undergoes constant refurbishment. Its structure, strengthened by steel, supports an iconic trio of slate-covered towers seen throughout the city. Thirteen bishops and archbishops, and more than one hundred parishioners are interred at the church, adding much to the history of New Orleans.

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