St. Joseph's Catholic Mission at Bayou Derbonne is a historic Catholic mission founded in the 1800s along the banks of Bayou Derbonne near Montrose and Isle Brevelle in Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana, serving the Montrose and Cloutierville Creole community. It was the cultural and religious center of the area's Louisiana Creole people, predominantly of French descent.[1]
St. Joseph's Catholic Mission at Bayou Derbonne | |
   | |
| Location | Montrose, Louisiana |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 31°32′23.5068″N 92°59′53.45″W / 31.539863000°N 92.9981806°W |
| Area | Montrose Creole Community |
| Built | 1800s |
| Architect | Francois Brevelle |
| Architectural style | Gothic Revival |
Location
editThe remnants of the church and cemetery are located on Highway 493 on the banks of Bayou Derbonne near the Cane River Waterway Commission. Nearby are the historic Magnolia Plantation (Derry, Louisiana) and Melrose Plantation.
History
editThe chapel was founded by French Creole families in the 1800s as a mission of St. Augustine Catholic Parish Church of Isle Brevelle. During this period, St. Augustine Catholic Parish Church founded 3 other missions: St. Anne Church (Spanish Lake) (serving the Adai Caddo Indians of Louisiana), St. Charles Chapel at Bermuda, and St. Anne Chapel at Old River.[2]
Notable Creole founding and patron families include Rachal, Longlois, Lacaze, Metoyer and Brevelle. The mission was initially under the Roman Catholic Diocese of Natchitoches, which is now part of the Diocese of Alexandria.[3]
Notable places
editNotable people
edit- Clementine Hunter (c. 1887–1988), a self-taught folk artist, she lived at the Melrose Plantation and painted this chapel and old river.[4]
- Jean Baptiste Brevelle (1698-1754), early 18th century explorer, trader and soldier of Fort Saint Jean Baptiste des Natchitoches.
- Marie Thérèse Coincoin (1742–1816), a planter, former slave turned slave owner and businesswoman.
- Anne des Cadeaux (unknown–1754), former Native American slave, mother of Jean Baptiste Brevelle II, and buried on Isle Brevelle.
- Billie Stroud (1919–2010), a self-taught folk artist, used this chapel, Kisatchie Bayou, and Brevelle Bayou as subject of her work and spent time there.[5]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "History of St. Augustine Catholic Church". St. Augustine Catholic Church. Roman Catholic Church. Retrieved 11 March 2024.
- ^ "History of St. Augustine Catholic Church". St. Augustine Catholic Church ([non-primary source needed]). Roman Catholic Church. Retrieved 1 April 2024.
- ^ "Alexandria Diocese Parishes". Diocese of Alexandria. Roman Catholic Church. Retrieved 11 January 2024.
- ^ Catlin, Roger. "Self-Taught Artist Clementine Hunter Painted the Bold Hues of Southern Life". Smithsonian Magazine. Retrieved 2021-06-28.
- ^ Register, James (6 January 1974). "Isle Brevelle Produces a New Primitive". Newspapers.com. The Town Talk. p. 29. Retrieved 2021-06-27.