Rosa grew up in Lafayette and gave us the grand tour of the local sights...
The mammoth oak tree to the right of the church is said to be one of the largest in the U.S. and is estimated to be almost 500 years old. The circumference of the trunk is 26.7 feet. It stands 125 feet high with a spread of 210 feet.
The Cathedral cemetery has tombs which date back to the beginning of the church parish in the 1820's. There are tombs of veterans of many wars from the Revolutionary war up to the present.
The high water table in southern Louisiana makes above ground burial a necessity. If you want to be buried below ground, a watertight vault must be constructed. There were a few of these but, as you can see, most patrons chose above ground vaults.
The next stop was Cypress Lake, which is in the center of the campus of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, where Rosa went to school. What an awesome place to relax for a few minutes in the middle of a hectic day on campus. It was beautiful!
It's got alligators...
It's got turtles....
'Gators and turtles and fish...oh my!!!
On Saturday morning while the wedding party was being made beautiful, I took a little jaunt to St. Martinville, the third oldest town in Louisiana. Here I saw the Evangeline Oak...
...made famous by the Longfellow poem. I have to admit I had never heard of it prior to my visit!
This is the tomb of Emmeline Lebiche, the real-life inspiration for Longfellow's poem.
This is Saint Martin of Tours Catholic Church where Emmeline is buried.
The Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist was our first stop. Construction of this church began in 1912 and was completed in 1916. There are beautiful statues, mosaics, and stained-glass windows throughout.
The mammoth oak tree to the right of the church is said to be one of the largest in the U.S. and is estimated to be almost 500 years old. The circumference of the trunk is 26.7 feet. It stands 125 feet high with a spread of 210 feet.
The Cathedral cemetery has tombs which date back to the beginning of the church parish in the 1820's. There are tombs of veterans of many wars from the Revolutionary war up to the present.
The high water table in southern Louisiana makes above ground burial a necessity. If you want to be buried below ground, a watertight vault must be constructed. There were a few of these but, as you can see, most patrons chose above ground vaults.
The next stop was Cypress Lake, which is in the center of the campus of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, where Rosa went to school. What an awesome place to relax for a few minutes in the middle of a hectic day on campus. It was beautiful!
It's got alligators...
It's got turtles....
'Gators and turtles and fish...oh my!!!
On Saturday morning while the wedding party was being made beautiful, I took a little jaunt to St. Martinville, the third oldest town in Louisiana. Here I saw the Evangeline Oak...
...made famous by the Longfellow poem. I have to admit I had never heard of it prior to my visit!
This is the tomb of Emmeline Lebiche, the real-life inspiration for Longfellow's poem.
This is Saint Martin of Tours Catholic Church where Emmeline is buried.
