St. Joseph's Cathedral, Baton Rouge

St. Joseph's Cathedral, Baton Rouge

Saint Joseph's Cathedral is a Catholic cathedral in Baton Rouge. It was founded as the Parish of Our Lady of Sorrows (Parroquia de Nuestra Senora de los Dolores) in 1792 but was renamed after Louisiana statehood. It is the mother church of the Diocese of Baton Rouge.

The cathedral is the third religious structure built on this site. It was designed in the Gothic Revival architectural style by Father John Cambiaso. Erected in 1853, it is the oldest church building in Baton Rouge.

The church was greatly damaged by cannon fire during U.S. Civil War. The reconstruction replaced the exterior red brick with stucco and added a steeple. In the early 20th century, stained glass was added, and the church building was expanded to meet the needs of a growing congregation.

One of the main features of the cathedral's interior is its large mahogany crucifix. The modern-style crucifix was sculpted by the Croatian sculptor and architect Ivan Mestrovic.

The Saint Joseph's Cathedral has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1990.

Want to visit this sight? Check out these Self-Guided Walking Tours in Baton Rouge. Alternatively, you can download the mobile app "GPSmyCity: Walks in 1K+ Cities" from Apple App Store or Google Play Store. The app turns your mobile device to a personal tour guide and it works offline, so no data plan is needed when traveling abroad.

Download The GPSmyCity App

St. Joseph's Cathedral on Map

Sight Name: St. Joseph's Cathedral
Sight Location: Baton Rouge, USA (See walking tours in Baton Rouge)
Sight Type: Religious
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:

Walking Tours in Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Create Your Own Walk in Baton Rouge

Create Your Own Walk in Baton Rouge

Creating your own self-guided walk in Baton Rouge is easy and fun. Choose the city attractions that you want to see and a walk route map will be created just for you. You can even set your hotel as the start point of the walk.
Baton Rouge Introduction Walking Tour

Baton Rouge Introduction Walking Tour

Baton Rouge is the capital of the state of Louisiana. The area that is now Baton Rouge was initially settled by the Houma and Bayougoula Indian Tribes. These two indigenous tribes used a giant cypress pole painted in red to mark the boundary between the tribal lands. Early French settlers dubbed that cypress pole "Le Baton Rouge" or Red Stick.

European settlement of Baton Rouge began...  view more

Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.4 Km or 1.5 Miles
Louisiana State University Walking Tour

Louisiana State University Walking Tour

Louisiana State University is the flagship university of the LSU system. It was originally founded in Pineville in 1860 as a seminary and military academy. The present campus in Baton Rouge was established in 1926.

The LSU campus is noted for its architecture and historical center. The campus has 250 buildings designed in the Italian Renaissance style. Among these are the Memorial Tower, Hill...  view more

Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 3.4 Km or 2.1 Miles