St. Bernard's Catholic Church
Breaux Bridge, Saint Martin Parish, Louisiana
Marker Inscription
St. Bernard's Catholic Church. Breaux Bridge's first Catholic chapel was built in 1841. In 1847, St. Bernard's Parish was established and our first substantial church was erected in 1857. This church, built in 1933-34 by local craftsmen, was the pinnacle of Rev. P.A. Borel's administration. The exterior bricks were made from our own brick factory. The twin steeples and fine French-Romanesque architectural lines makes it truly unique.
Erected by Breaux Bridge Historical Society
The Story
Catholic worship in Breaux Bridge began with a small chapel in 1841, and by 1847 St. Bernard's Parish was formally established, its first substantial church rising a decade later. The present twin-steepled church, built in 1933–34 by local craftsmen from bricks fired in the community's own factory, crowned the ministry of Rev. P.A. Borel. Its French-Romanesque lines make it a landmark of Louisiana's Acadian heartland.
Why it matters
The church embodies nearly a century of Acadian Catholic community life, built quite literally from local hands and local clay.
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Related people
- · Rev. P.A. Borel
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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