“The oldest & most famous of New Orleans' cemeteries”
Saint Louis Cemetery is the name of three Roman Catholic cemeteries in New Orleans, Louisiana. All of these graves are above ground vaults; most were constructed in the 18th century and 19th century. St. Louis Cemetery #1 is the oldest and most famous. It was opened in 1789, replacing the city's older St. Peter Cemetery (no longer in existence) as the main burial ground when the city was redesigned after a fire in 1788.It is 8 blocks from the Mississippi River, on the north side of Basin Street, one block beyond the inland border of the French Quarter. It borders the Iberville housing project. It has been in continuous use since its foundation. ADMISSION: $20 PER PSERON. *PLEASE NOTE THAT UNDER THE NEW RULES SET BY THE ARCHDIOCESE OF NEW ORLEANS, ALL VISITORS TO ST. LOUIS CEMETERY NO. 1 MUST BE ACCOMPANIED BY LICENSED TOUR GUIDE. FAMILIES WITH LOVED ONES BURIED IN THE CEMETERY, TOMB OWNERS, AND GENEALOGISTS CAN ACQUIRE A SPECIAL PASS BY CALLING (504) 596-3050. Famous New Orleanians buried in St. Louis #1 include Etienne de Bore, wealthy pioneer of the sugar industry and the first mayor of New Orleans; Home Plessy, the plaintiff from the landmark 1896 Plessy v. Ferguson Supreme Court decision on civil rights; and Ernest N. Dutch Morial, the first African-American mayor of New Orleans.The renowned Voodoo priestess Marie Laveau is believed to be interred in the Glapion family crypt. Other notable New Orleanians here include Bernard de Marigny, the French-Creole playboy who brought the game of craps to the United States; Barthelemy Lafon, the architect and surveyor who allegedly became one of Jean Lafitte's pirates; and Paul Morphy, one of the earliest world champions of chess. Delphine LaLaurie is also believed to lay in rest here. Architect and engineer Benjamin Latrobe was buried there after dying from yellow fever in 1820 while doing engineering for the New Orleans water works. The cemetery spans just one square block but is the resting place of many thousands. A Protestant section (generally not vaulted) lies in the north-west section. It's also a filming location for the movie Easy Rider and the Cincinnati Kid! Oh, and Nicolas Cage's tomb is there too...
Reviews
This is supposedly where the Voodoo Queen, Marie Laveau, is buried. Be sure not to miss visiting her grave and make sure to leave your mark (inconspicuously) - so she may grant your wish- or something like that.
This place is pretty cool, historic, and all that jazz, but it was a shame to see it basically trashed during my visit.
We were here in the French quarter this weekend they won't let you go in anymore with a tour guide you have to pay for. :( wanted to see but already paid for other things to do. There's a bug brick wall as well so you can really see inside. They did this because of serious vandals
Ahh....Marie Laveau! The Voodoo Queen! This was a great place. We were on location filming a documentary on rouxgaroux. We decided to stop in and visit St. Louis Cemetery. Impressive to say the least. We were able to get some good "B" Roll, paid our respects to the Voodoo Queen, then went to grab a bite. Awesome.....if you have a chance, stop by and pay your respect to Marie Laveau. You'll be glad you did.
Most people recommend that it's a good idea to take a guided tour into Cemetery #1. In resent years visitors have been mugged if they aren't in big groups. Luckily there are tons of different tours you can take, and an added bonus is that you're tour guide can give you loads of extra info!
This was amazing. The history is so different from anywhere else. Take a tour which includes this as a stop.
went on a tour of cemetery no 1 with the "voodoo bone lady". the history is amazing but its even more amazing when you find out that hundreds will have been placed in the same tomb. I won't spoil all the details but take a tour here. You won't regret it.
One of those places you have to see when you're in NOLA. Nic Cage has a tomb here, plus it's where they go all crazy in Easy Rider and trip out. So much history and pop culture in one place.
Pretty much a must-visit when you're in New Orleans, not only because it's such a striking cemetery, but because it's worth seeing the beloved grave of Voodoo Queen Marie Laveau and the future final resting of place of Nicholas Cage - a huge freaking pyramid. It's hilariously out of place.
A word of advice - no matter how drunk you get in the French Quarter, do not attempt to visit the cemetery at night unless you're on a guided tour with a large group. This place gets dangerous after dark, mostly because thieves know there's some easy tourist targets to hold up.
Tiny in the grand scheme of cemeteries, but PACKED FULL! See three graves that are thought to be Marie Laveau's (look for the XXXs) as well as Nicholas Cage's ridiculous pyramid tomb. Easy to walk to from the French Quarter.
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St. Louis Cemetery No. 1
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- Sun: 9:00 am - 12:00 pm
- Mon - Sat: 9:00 am - 3:00 pm
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