You have reached your limit of 3 free stories. A story preview is shown instead.
To view more stories
(If your subscription is current,
click here to Login or Register.)
Grotto Built From Sugar Cane Remnants
One of the first Lourdes Grottos in the U.S. was built inside the church at Convent, St. James Parish, La., using agricultural products. The grotto is located within St. Michael the Archangel Church. It’s one of the oldest parishes in South Louisiana.
Theron Oubre, a local historian and descendant with a family
..........
You must sign in, subscribe or renew to see the page.
You must sign in, subscribe or renew to see the flip-book
Grotto Built From Sugar Cane Remnants
One of the first Lourdes Grottos in the U.S. was built inside the church at Convent, St. James Parish, La., using agricultural products. The grotto is located within St. Michael the Archangel Church. It’s one of the oldest parishes in South Louisiana.
Theron Oubre, a local historian and descendant with a family history in the area spanning generations, led a tour group as part of the Southern Travelers Explore. He explained that the current church is the second one at this location.
The first church and cemetery were established in 1808, and the area is now beneath the Mississippi River. This initial church was built five years before Louisiana joined the Union. When the congregation grew too large for the first church, a second one was built about a mile upriver in 1833.
The Lourdes Grotto is located behind the altar and was built in 1876. It’s modeled after the religious site in Lourdes, France, and was built 18 years after the Blessed Virgin’s appearance to Saint Bernadette Soubirous. Bernadette is a Catholic saint and the patroness of the sick, those ridiculed for their piety, the poor, and shepherds, as well as of Lourdes, France.
James Parish earned the nickname “sugar coast” after Jesuit priests introduced sugarcane in 1751. The grotto was built using bagasse clinkers (bricks) made from sugarcane. Bagasse is crushed sugarcane residue, and in the grotto, it simulated stone.
Another link to the history of sugar cane is that the grotto’s recessed dome is made from an overturned sugar kettle. These kettles were commonly used in 18th-century sugar production.
The grotto also has an altar covered with clam shells gathered from the Mississippi River.
The grotto was built by a local resident, Christophe Colomb, an artist in stone and pottery. Florian Dicharry, a parishioner, served as the architect.
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, St. Michael the Archangel Catholic Church, 6484 LA-44, Convent, La. 70723 (www.rivrdcat.org).
To read the rest of this story, download this issue below or click
here to register with your account number.
