St. John's Cathedral (Lafayette, Louisiana)

The Cathedral of Saint John the Evangelist or La Cathédrale St-Jean, originally called l'Église St-Jean du Vermilion, is the cathedral and mother church of the Catholic Diocese of Lafayette. It was the first parish in Lafayette Parish, founded in 1821, and was made cathedral upon the erection of the diocese in 1918.[4][5]

St. John's Cathedral
Front façade
Location	515 Cathedral Street Lafayette, Louisiana
Country	United States
Denomination	Roman Catholic
Website	www.saintjohncathedral.org
History
Status	Cathedral
Dedicated	June 27, 1916[1]
Architecture
Functional status	Active
Style	Romanesque Revival
Specifications
Number of towers	1
Administration
Diocese	Lafayette (Louisiana)
Province	New Orleans
Clergy
Bishop(s)	J. Douglas Deshotel
Rector	Rev. Chester Arceneaux[2]
Vicar(s)	Fr. Andrew Schumacher
Priest(s)	Rev. Cyprian Eze
Laity
Organist/Director of music	Mr. Thomas Niel
St. John's Cathedral
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Location	515 Cathedral Street, Lafayette, Louisiana
Coordinates	30°13′22″N 92°01′25″W
Area	7 acres (2.8 ha)
Built	1916
Architect	Cousin
Architectural style	Romanesque Revival
NRHP reference No.	79001067[3]
Added to NRHP	July 27, 1979

The historic church, located at 515 Cathedral Street in downtown Lafayette, is the third structure built on the site. The land was donated in 1821 by Jean Mouton, a wealthy planter who had founded the town as Vermilionville.[6] The cornerstone was laid in 1913, and the church was completed in 1916 in the Dutch Romanesque Revival style. A large red and white brick structure, its notable features include stained glass produced in Munich depicting the life of the patron, oil paintings of Christ and the Apostles, and a Casavant Frères organ.[4][5]

St. John's Cemetery is the oldest in the city of Lafayette.[7] Notable burials include Jean Mouton, who donated the property for the church; his son Alexandre Mouton, a U.S. senator and governor of Louisiana; his grandson Alfred Mouton, a Confederate general in the American Civil War; and Jefferson Caffery, a distinguished U.S. diplomat who was a Lafayette native.

The church and a 7 acres (2.8 ha) area comprising the Bishop's residence and the cemetery was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on July 27, 1979.[3]