St. Martin of Tours Catholic Church (St. Martinville, Louisiana)

Saint Martin of Tours Catholic Church (French: Église catholique Saint Martin de Tours) is a historic church at 133 S. Main Street in Saint Martinville, Louisiana. The church was added to the National Register in 1972.[1]

Saint Martin of Tours Catholic Church
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Show map of Louisiana Show map of the United States
Location	133 S. Main St., Saint Martinville, Louisiana
Coordinates	30°7′22″N 91°49′41″W
Area	4.1 acres (1.7 ha)
Built	1840
Architect	Robert R. Benson
Architectural style	Romanesque
NRHP reference No.	72001454[1]
Added to NRHP	April 10, 1972

The church was founded in 1765 by Acadian refugees settling in Atakapa country; the first church was probably designed by French military engineer Lieutenant Louis Andry. The church was incorporated in 1814 by an act of the Louisiana legislature. Another act passed in 1820 authorized the congregation to run a lottery to raise funds to build a new church. Completed in 1840, the current building was consecrated in 1844.[2]

It was built originally as a simple rectangular plan church of the Roman basilica type, with the nave separated by a row of Doric columns from side aisles. It was expanded in the 1870s by addition of transepts and a semi-circular apse as well as by extension of the nave.[2]

Next to the church is a monument dedicated to the Militiamen of St Martinville (36 of the militiamen were French Creoles, three were Acadians, and three colonial Americans, one's citizenship was not known) who took part with General Bernardo de Galvez in the Battle of Baton Rouge. The monument was erected by the Louisiana Daughters of the American Revolution.