Louisiana Inspired
This Louisiana chapel is one of the last timber-framed Gothic Revival churches in the South
Spencer Chauvin is president of Friends of St. Mary's Chapel, a 501(c)3 corporation that is dedicated to raising funds for the preservation of the chapel in Convent, in St. James Parish. The organization is currently leasing the church from the Catholic Diocese of Baton Rouge. While the chapel does not have regular mass, it does host special events.
St. Mary on the River (circa 1849) was the name of the small chapel long before it was referred to in its current English name, St. Mary's. The first St. Mary’s was completed on Oct. 2, 1849. The current and second St. Mary’s Chapel (circa 1875) building is the one standing today on River Road in Convent. The rectory was moved in 1984, but before it was a rectory, it was a residence. As of today, it is the oldest standing Acadian cottage in Louisiana, dating back prior to 1784.
The building was placed on the Louisiana Trust for Historic Preservation's Most Endangered List for 2021, and the organization is working to get it registered on the National Register of Historic Places. If successful, Chauvin has plans to preserve the original siding, interior and replace the steeple to reflect the original structure that was destroyed by Hurricane Betsy in 1965.
What is the current condition of the chapel?
It's in disrepair. It's in need of a roof. The last time it had a roof was 1923, and it's an asbestos slate roof. It was meant to be a 100-year roof, and I think we've squeezed every 100 years out of it. We formed the nonprofit to start repairs.
St. Mary's Chapel is a mission of St. Michael the Archangel Catholic Church, and I joined the pastoral council of St. Michael's with St. Mary's in mind, trying to make sure that it got the attention it needed.
What role did St. Mary's Chapel play in the community?
A centennial celebration pamphlet cover shows the newly replaced steeple at St. Mary's Chapel in 1975. Provided photo by St. Michael's Church.
St. Michael the Archangel was built in the early 1800s. People lived along the river, and it was very difficult for people to travel there, because it serves such a large area. St. Mary's is about 13 miles from St. Michael's, so parishioners who didn't have a horse and buggy had to walk.
There are stories of people who used to walk barefoot on the levee because they didn't want to ruin their church shoes. So, when they got to church, they put on their shoes.
The priest wanted to build two chapels east and west of St. Michael's so that they could serve the people better. In a Catholic Church, there's a side chapel with Mary on the left and Joseph on the right. To commemorate that fact, the priest built St. Mary's Chapel on the upriver side of St. Michael's, and he built St. Joseph's Chapel on the downriver side with St. Michael's in the middle.
St. Joseph's has become its own parish, but St. Mary's never got out of being a mission of St. Michael's.
St. Mary's Chapel in Convent, Louisiana, is pictured on Nov. 29, 1945.
What's the next milestone in the restoration process for St. Mary's?
We started with getting a new roof to protect it, because it's leaking. Because it's an asbestos slate roof, removing the roof actually costs more than putting on a new one.
So, we started raising money, and we've raised $160,000 so far.
We're going to spend some money to try to beautify the church for now. We're going to repair the parts of the roof that are leaking, rip off the vinyl siding and paint the front.
What does this project teach about the importance of preserving small, sacred spaces in rural Louisiana?
For preservation in general. For me, it's personal. My great-great-great-grandfather was one of the designers and builders of St. Mary's.
St. Mary's Chapel was placed on the Louisiana Trust for Historic Preservation's Most Endangered List for 2021.
Living next to it helps because when I walk out the back door, it's the first thing I see. It's kind of knocking on my back door like, "Hey, I'm here. I need some help." The out-of-sight, out-of-mind mentality is not an excuse for me.
This church was done in the Gothic Revival style, which was popular in the mid-1800s. Most Gothic Revival churches are masonry construction. They were built to last, and they were built with quite large budgets. Here, they have a limited budget, so they built it out of wood. You don't see many of those left, because they're not nearly as strong and built to last as long.
St. Mary's Chapel could be one of the last timber frame Gothic Revival churches in the South. They usually rot, burn or hurricanes knock them over, and this one's still standing. It's cool to save something that's one of a kind.
No comments:
Post a Comment