St. Gabriel Catholic Church (St. Gabriel, Louisiana)

St. Gabriel Catholic Church is a church parish in St. Gabriel, Louisiana known to have its origins all the way back to 1761. It is noted as the oldest still standing church in the entirety of the Louisiana Purchase. The church parish includes a main church and the Sacred Heart Chapel in the neighborhood of Carville, Louisiana. The church is part of the Diocese of Baton Rouge and its current pastor is Father Charlie Landry. The old parish church building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on November 27, 1972.

St. Gabriel Catholic Church
The exterior of the new church, which stands on the same property as the old church.
Denomination	Catholic Church
Website	www.stgabrielcatholicchurch.com
History
Founded	1770
Architecture
Architectural type	Romanesque Revival
Completed	1953
Administration
Diocese	Baton Rouge
Clergy
Priest(s)	Fr. Charles Landry
St. Gabriel Roman Catholic Church
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
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Location	3625 LA 75
Nearest city	St. Gabriel, Louisiana
Coordinates	30°15′16″N 91°06′07″W
Area	37.65 acres (15.24 ha)
Built	1772
Architectural style	Gothic
NRHP reference No.	72000555[1]
Added to NRHP	November 27, 1972

History

The church's history dates back to when the original white church building was completed in 1776. This church is thought to be the oldest church building on all of the territory gained from the Louisiana Purchase. Around the turn of the twentieth century, the church had to be moved a little further away from the river to what is now its actual site. The timbers were found to be in perfect condition and in the tower is the original bell of the parish, which is still used. It bears the inscription, “Sancta Maria de la Merced, Ora Pro Nobis-Se Hizo-Commendodos-MRPI Ygnacio de Jesus Maria-Ano de 1768.” Father Vincent Isidore Kleinpeter, a pastor at St. Gabriel, believed a new church building was needed, but the old building should still stand on the site in which it was moved.^[2][3]

Repairs

In 2008, Hurricane Gustav destroyed the original steeple of the original church. Following the hurricane, it was later repaired.

See also

• Episcopal Church of the Nativity: also NRHP-listed in Iberville Parish
• St. John the Baptist Church: also NRHP-listed in Iberville Parish
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Iberville Parish, Louisiana

References

1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. November 2, 2013.
2. "The Catholic Commentator » St. Gabriel celebrates milestone". thecatholiccommentator.org. Retrieved February 21, 2022.
3. "A Brief History of St. Gabriel the Archangel Catholic Church". Retrieved February 21, 2022.