Cathedral of St John

I love all things Lafayette but my favorite thing in the world is here at Cathedral of St. John. The Cathedral Oak grows in the courtyard of this lovely church. It is majestic and just drop dead gorgeous. I’ve never attended mass here but this tree will make anyone believe in a higher power. Oak trees are synonymous with the south and this one is just perfect. It’s five centuries old and nearly 130 feet tall and one of the most beautiful trees you’ll ever see.
The cemetery is lovely as well, reminiscent of ours in New Orleans with the above ground tombs. If you are in Lafayette do yourself a favor and visit this church. Please hug that tree for me too!

Beautiful! Walking inside took my breath away. There is an amazing pipe organ upstairs. All the saints are on the ceiling and the cemetery behind was humbling to walk trough. So peaceful. There is a HUGE oak tree outside as well. Pretty cool.

The cathedral is beautiful but the «sacristan» Mr. Michael Breaux is extremely rude and not behaving like a Christian man. I would NEVER recommend to anyone to have their wedding here no matter how beautiful the church is as long as he is there. He was rude to my friend (THE BRIDE) and to her friend who was helping her with the planning. He was extremely judgmental and condescending.

Beautiful historic church with an above ground cemetery and the creepiest tree ever! Free! This place is likely haunted.

This is an absolutely gorgeous spot to check out on a visit to Lafayette. The old oak outside is fantastic – I do have a thing for big trees which makes me crazy love them, but I think even well-​adjusted people would love this one.
The outside of the church itself is pretty amazing, unlike any other I’ve seen, at least that I remember. The inside is very interesting as well, with stained glass scenes and mosaic/​portraits of each of the Apostles lining the ceiling. I’ve also got a thing for the ceilings of churches and this one was very cool (what did my parents do to me as a child? No just kidding, I’ve just taken Art History classes and can appreciate things like ceilings and flying buttresses).
The cemetery outside is also worth a walk through. As a native Californian and recent Louisiana transplant, I find it very interesting just looking at all of the names on the gravestones, as they are very unlike I would see back home.
Overall, I would highly recommend this for a quick stop (30 minutes to an hour suited me fine) for some beauty in your life!

Was told by a local to check out this church, cemetery and the old oak in front. Gorgeous complex with the cathedral taking center stage, flanked by school buildings, gorgeously landscaped property and an amazing cemetery.

Exploring Lafayette, including this lovely cathedral & grave yard in downtown. Love the church bells!

I have been to St. John’s Cathedral many, many times because I went to the school that is right next door to it, and we had mass there every Thursday. It is a really beautiful catholic church in Lafayette, LA and if you have a second to see it, go whenever a mass is going on. Also make sure to step around back and check out the cemetery! Here’s a little video I shot of a trip I took there one day!