St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church, Grand Coteau, LA

St. Charles Borromeo Parish was established in 1819. St. Charles is the third oldest parish in the Diocese of Lafayette, Louisiana. The two older parishes are St. Martin de Tours in St. Martinville; it was established in 1765. And St. Landry located in Opelousas; founded in 1776.

Charles Smith, a wealthy planter and carpenter that came to the area from Maryland donated 140 arpents of land to Bishop William Dubourg to build the first church. The new parish was named St. Charles Borromeo in honor of the donor's patron saint. Mr. Smith died shortly before the first church was even completed.

Sixty years after the church was built, the parish expressed its need for a larger church building. The parishioners hosted fairs, a circus, and Mardi Gras theatricals and with help from the Religious of the Sacred Heart, a new church was built. On March 19, 1879, the cornerstone of the new church building was put into position and blessed. The primary builders were two Jesuit brothers: Cornelius Otten of Holland and Joseph Armand Brinkhaus of Grand Coteau.

The following year the church was consecrated under the title of the Sacred Heart. This was done by popular demand of the parishioners in gratitude to the Sacred Heart who had protected them from the yellow fever epidemic and to the Religious of the Sacred Heart who had donated one-third of the cost of construction of the new edifice. In recent years, the church was renamed under the original title of St. Charles Borromeo.

The St. Charles Barromeo church and the entire area holds a wealth of history. The grounds are graced with massive oak trees as evident by the pictures below (remember to click on each picture to get a larger view). A Mass and several hours are in order to appreciate the beauty and history of this most holy and historic place.