St Patrick Cemeteries & Mausoleum

I imagine that people who have never lived or visited New Orleans may find it odd that we celebrate our cemeteries down here. It’s not odd at all to discover that most of the people who visit the cities of the dead are not necessarily visiting a loved one, they are there admiring the tombs.
St. Patrick’s is an archdiocesan cemetery meaning it is maintained by the Catholic Church. It is one of the better maintained properties especially when you consider many of these tombs were built back in the mid 1800’s. That was a particularly bad time for the Irish who had settled in the city as many succumbed to a Yellow Fever epidemic. Many of those pour souls are forever entombed here and when you visit you will notice many Irish names adorning these graves.
I suggest visiting this cemetery before you head to Metairie cemetery as this far less fancy. If you go to MC first you may be a bit disappointed, but there is still plenty to see. My favorite spot can be found at the rear of the cemetery near the old K&B. There is an incredible statue with swords and a crown that I stood and stared at for a long time. You’ll know the one I am talking about when you see it.

There are actually three St. Patrick’s cemeteries, and I suppose this listing encompasses all of them.
Located at the foot of Canal St., the St. Patrick cemeteries are Catholic cemeteries where people were buried mainly in the 1840’s during the yellow fever epidemic.
Like most other cemeteries in this area, I find them lovely. The above ground tombs are old but gorgeous and they do have a certain appeal. Not as fancy as some cemeteries in the area, but definitely worth a walk through, if you are in the area.

I happened to have an appointment in the 4 story building adjacent to this cemetery and the windows allowed for great views down into it.
While non of the tombs are super fancy, many are very nice and date back to the mid 19^th century. The space is well maintained as this is a diocesan cemetery rather than city owned. I appreciate that they have taken care of the older head stones and that they aren’t lying broken in the aisles.
As you can imagine from the name, this was originally a graveyard for those of Irish descent in New Orleans.