Here in the heart of the French Quarter, amidst bars, restaurants, shops and clubs sits the oldest cathedral in the U.S. The focal point of Jackson Square, this church is an important landmark in the very Catholic city of New Orleans.

While I've never found the interior of the catherdral to be very appealling, the triple steeple exterior makes the Square the most picturesque setting in all of the Big Easy.

Pope John Paul II said mass here in the late 80's and the plaza out front is named in his honor.

Right across the street from Cafe Du Monde and the French Market, this is a definite must see, if only for the photo opportunity.

WOW! I was awestruck at the beauty each and every time I passed by. I am not catholic, however this Cathedral was awe inspiring. A must see.

My husband and I visited New Orleans in October, while on a "Music Cities "Tour arriving from California on Saturday afternoon.We attended Mass on the following Sunday along with some of our traveling companions. The Cathedral is so beautiful--and has a lot of History. I felt overwhelmed and so moved the moment we entered. Since a lot of the churches no longer have the candles for prayers, it was especially nice to see that we could once again light candles for our family and friends.Mass was meaningful and lovely. The congregation was friendly and made us feel so welcome.It bacame our Home (church) away from Home.I felt it was definately one of the highlights of our trip, and I look forward to attending Mass there on our next trip to New Orleans.

The Cathedral has one of the few Baroque interiors of any public building in the US or Canada. The frescoes on the ceilings and walls, as well as the baroque statuary and gilding, remind me more of the 18th century churches in France, Germany, and Austria. A very European cathedral for a very "European" city.