SOUL &
SPIRITUALITY
Churches and cemeteries depict the
spiritual richness of the region
St. Michael’s Catholic Church's most
unique feature, the Lourdes Grotto,
was added to the church in the 1870s.
The grotto is housed behind the altar
and constructed 18 years after the first
apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Modeled after the grotto in Lourdes,
France, materials used to create it pay
homage to the surrounding region. This
grotto is made from bagasse, the dry pulpy
residue left after juice from sugarcane is
extracted. The recessed dome is fashioned
out of an overturned sugar kettle, and the
altar is covered with small clam shells from
the Mississippi River.
St. Michael's is also home to the Henry
Erben Organ, the oldest working organ of
its kind in Louisiana. The organ came to the
church by boat in 1857.
Explore the grounds of the Kulgar and
Kenner cemeteries in the Bonnet Carre
Spillway. The graveyards were originally
established for the enslaved in the 1800s
and later served as the burial grounds for
black Civil War Union Army veterans.
Religion impacted the lives of African
Americans during segregation. Built in
1936, our Lady of Grace Church, now
located at Historic Riverlands Christian
Center exhibits what life was like for black
people living under Jim Crow laws and
emphasizes different music genres created
by African American musicians throughout
history in its Soul River Musical Journey.
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