St._Anne_Chapel_at_Old_River
St. Anne Chapel at Old River
Historic church, cemetery in the US
St. Anne Chapel at Old River is a historic Catholic chapel founded in the 1800s along the banks of Old River near Cypress and Isle Brevelle in Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana, serving the Old River community. It is the cultural and religious center of the area's Louisiana Creole people, predominantly of French descent.[1]
| St. Anne Chapel at Old River | |
|---|---|
| Location | 3659 Old River Rd, Natchitoches, Louisiana 71457 |
| Coordinates | 31°38′27″N 93°03′58″W |
| Area | Old River Community, Louisiana |
| Built | 1800s (1800s) |
The church and cemetery are located Old River Road (Parish Road 615) on the banks of Old River near Kisatchie Bayou at the Old River Creole community near Natchez, Louisiana.[2]
Like nearby Cane River and Bayou Brevelle, Old River was once the Red River.[3]
The 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. Joseph's Catholic Mission at Bayou Derbonne, and St. Charles Chapel at Bermuda.[4]
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.[5]
- Clementine Hunter (c. 1887–1988), self-taught folk artist, she lived at the Melrose Plantation and painted this chapel and old river.[6]
- Jean Baptiste Brevelle (1698-1754), early 18th century explorer, trader and soldier of Fort Saint Jean Baptiste des Natchitoches.
- Billie Stroud (1919–2010), self-taught folk artist, used this chapel, Kisatchie Bayou, and Brevelle Bayou as subject of her work and spent time there.[7]
- Robert Brevelle (born 1977), renowned entrepreneur and tribal councilman of the nearby Adai Caddo Indian Nation, is a lineal descendant of original patrons of St. Augustine Parish Church and St. Anne's Mission Church on Old River.[8]
- "St. Anne Chapel". Diocese of Alexandria. Roman Catholic Church. Retrieved January 10, 2024.
- "St. Ann's Catholic Cemetery, Old River Road". LA Gen Web. Retrieved January 12, 2024.
- Cane River Creole National Historical Park: Historic Resource Study 2019 (PDF). US National Park Service (Report). Commonwealth Heritage Group, Inc. & Suzanne Turner Associates. pp. 1–5. Retrieved January 19, 2024.
- "History of St. Augustine Catholic Church". St. Augustine Catholic Church ([non-primary source needed]). Roman Catholic Church. Retrieved April 1, 2024.
- "Alexandria Diocese Parishes". Diocese of Alexandria. Roman Catholic Church. Retrieved January 11, 2024.
- Catlin, Roger (October 18, 2018). "Self-Taught Artist Clementine Hunter Painted the Bold Hues of Southern Life". Smithsonian Magazine. [failed verification]. Retrieved June 28, 2021.
- Register, James (January 6, 1974). "Isle Brevelle Produces a New Primitive". Newspapers.com. [failed verification]. The Town Talk. p. 29. Retrieved June 27, 2021.
- Whitney, Amber (September 2023). "Robert Brevelle CEO". The Top 100 Magazine. [failed verification]. p. 64. Archived from the original on September 26, 2023. Retrieved December 18, 2021.