St Louis Cathedral

The Cathedral-Basilica of St Louis, King of France, is the church at the centre of the uptown side of Jackson Square, facing the Mississippi. A church has stood on this site since the earliest years of the French colony. The first wooden building was replaced by a brick church in the 1720s, which was destroyed in the Great New Orleans Fire of 1788. Its Spanish-era successor was finished in 1794 and became a cathedral the year before. Most of the building you see today dates from a major rebuilding around 1850, although the bell first hung in 1819, inscribed "Victoire" to mark the Battle of New Orleans, was reused.

Inside, look for the frescoes, the galleries, the pulpit and the Holtkamp pipe organ, which was damaged by Hurricane Katrina and reinstalled in 2008. Pope Paul VI raised the church to a minor basilica in 1964, and Pope John Paul II visited in September 1987, which is why the pedestrian stretch of Chartres Street in front of the cathedral is named Place John Paul II. Behind the building is St Anthony's Garden, which contains a marble statue of Christ.

The cathedral is open to visitors daily from 9.30am to 4pm, with last entry at 3.45pm. Hours can change on holidays and for weddings and other services, so check the calendar on the official website before planning around a visit. Entry for a look around is free. An early guided tour runs Monday to Saturday at 9am, before the doors open to the public, and can be booked through the cathedral's website; larger groups can arrange a tour by phone.

This is a working parish church with Mass at 12.05pm on weekdays, 4pm on Saturday and 9am and 11am on Sunday, so visitors should be quiet and avoid walking around during services. Food and drink are not allowed, and hats should be removed. Allow 20 to 30 minutes for a visit, more if you join a tour or stay for Mass.

The Cabildo and the Presbytère, two Louisiana State Museum buildings, stand on either side, and Jackson Square is directly in front, so the cathedral fits easily into any walk through the French Quarter. Many visitors combine it with the Cabildo next door.