Old Ursuline Convent, New Orleans

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In 1727, the King of France sent 14 Urusuline nuns to New Orleans to provide education and healthcare in the colony. After tentatively establishing themselves in a succession of makeshift residences, the Old Ursuline Convent was finally built for the small congregation between 1748 and 1752, which makes it the oldest structure still standing in New Orleans. The convent then comprised a school, library, refectory, dormitory, nursery and a chapel dedicated to Our Lady of Victory. Today, visitors are free to walk around the convent's gardens and go on a self-guided tour of the convent's main floor. There are several interesting exhibits that mostly focus on the history of Louisiana as a French colony, and I thought it was interesting to see that all the information was available in English and French. It's also possible to visit the convent's chapel, which dates back to 1845. A volunteer offered to give us a quick tour of the chapel and described the different pieces of religious art that have been gathered throughout the years. Perhaps it wasn't the most exciting museum we got to visit in New Orleans, but if you take an interest in the city's French heritage then I'd say it's well worth the price of admission ($5).

The Old Ursuline Convent is open Monday to Saturday, from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm.

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Sisters of Ursula, the female pioneers during the 18th century in Louisiana were some educated Frenchwomen that helped the local community with medical care. This was the place were they run a school for the poor and an orphanage (the first one in Louisiana).

The convent dates back from 1752 but in our days(the nuns moved to uptown in 1824) houses catholic archives from the beginning of 18th century.

It’s open mon-sat 10.00-16.00 and the entrance fee is $5. First, you see a small video with the basic info about the convent and then you go through a small tour on the ground floor and the garden.

The Catholic Cultural Center Museum on the grounds of the Old Ursuline Convent in the French Quarter is one of the newest museums in the oldest colonial building in the Mississippi Valley. It was dedicated in October 2004, and we visited New Orleans in December 2004. I took the picture from the bus, but my energy didn't extend to actually going here.

In the early days of the colony and city, there was no idea of separation of church and state. So this museum explores the early history of Catholicism and New Orleans. In addition to the Old Ursuline Convent and convent gardens at Chartres and Ursulines, St. Louis Cathedral at Jackson Square and historic St. Mary Church, adjacent to the Convent are part of the Catholic Culture and Heritage network of properties which are open to the public Tuesdays through Sundays

This is one of the oldest buildings in New Orleans, completed in 1752. It was a convent for many years. Now, it's called The Catholic Cultural and Heritage Center.

This is one of the oldest buildings in the city, though I didn't go inside. The Sisters of St. Ursulina moved in in 1749 and ran a school and ophanage for the poor.