January 5th

It is difficult to choose my favorite experience from today, but if I had to choose one it would be the Old Ursuline Convent. The Ursuline nuns arrived by boat from France in 1727, and the convent is the oldest building in the Mississippi river valley. The tour started in the chapel connected to the convent, which was completed well after the convent was built. The church is known at St. Mary's church, but it was first called Our Lady of Victory. I found it to be just as beautiful as the St. Louis Cathedral. The Eucharist and the altar of the church are made of precious minerals such as gold, diamond, platinum, and others. Many, if not all, of these precious minerals were donated by the public. Today, it is estimated that the altar and the Eucharist are worth over five million dollars.

Another aspect of the church that makes it unique is the ceiling. In the 1970's they decided, for whatever reason, to drop the ceiling of the chapel. When that took place, they discovered the true ceiling of the cathedral. It is made of wood planks, and the actual paint and paintings are all preserved on it. The paint is not as vibrant as I am sure it once was, but it is still very well preserved for what it is worth. The tour guide told us that they believe is was kept in so well of shape due to the ceiling that was below it at one time.

All around the outer edge of the chapel there are statues of Italian saints. There are also stained glass windows that have surprisingly been kept in very good shape, except for one. Overall, the history of the chapel and the little details that were put into it make it very unique.

Next we went into the actual convent where the nuns stayed. In the entry way, there is a clock. It looks like any other large grandfather clock, but this clock was brought with the nuns from France in 1727. This means it dates back even further than when they arrived in New Orleans. What is most interesting about this clock is that it still works perfectly. It chimes on the hour and every quarter of an hour. The pendulum still swings, and the minute and hour hands work perfectly. The case for the clock is not original, but the clock itself is.

To the right of the clock, there is also a staircase. This staircase is a self-supporting winding staircase that was originally part of the 1734 convent. This staircase is the only self-supporting winding staircase left in an American colonial buildings. The railings on the staircase are also the only original ironwork left from French Colonial Louisiana. Someone from our group reached out to touch one of the bars on the staircase, and it moved quite a bit. You could tell it has been worn down over the years, but still very well preserved like the rest of the building.

The Ursuline nuns were a very cloistered group, and they mostly taught and took care of orphans. We were able to see the room where the orphans were fed. Also on display was a handmade vestment that was made by the nuns, and a statue that was brought over by the nuns in 1727. Another statue was sent to the convent much later from the original Ursuline convent in France.

Statue brought over by the nuns in 1727

Statue from the convent in France