That’s why you’ll see faint triple XXXs etched into her grave-a practice that is actively discouraged-or trinkets such as bobby pins left in threes.
Many believe she continues to work her magic from beyond the grave. She saved countless lives, and to this day, people think of her with gratitude. She was known for her caring and benevolent heart, as she nursed many people who suffered during the yellow fever epidemics of the 19 th century. The beautiful young woman was also a hairdresser to the wealthy, learning many beauty tricks and herbal remedies from her mother. 1 by Nelo Hotsuma Voodoo Queen Marie Laveauīorn in 1801 in the French Quarter to a Haitian mother and white father, Marie Laveau gained prominence as a Voodoo practitioner. It’s a high price, but it’s not unreasonable when you consider the people who will become your neighbors for eternity. If you wish to be buried in this famous graveyard, you can make it happen to the tune of $40,000-the going price for a plot. Other families prefer to collect the remains, placing them in a muslin bag. At that point, the remains may be pushed to the back of the tomb, leaving room for another body to be interred. After a body is interred, it is left undisturbed in the grave for a period of one year and one day. Many oven vaults house the remains of countless family members. Glance at the ground, and you’ll see some graves are only partially visible-the rest are below the earth, evidence that New Orleans is gradually sinking. These tombs stack gravesites, filing cabinet style, one above the other.
1 is a bank of “oven vaults” or “wall vaults” to your left. One of the first things you’ll see when you enter St. Louis Cemetery is now near the center of the city, thanks to the draining of the swamps, which permitted people to settle beyond the French Quarter.
Once located at the marshy city limits, St. The city’s high water table makes in-ground burials impossible-a coffin buried underground simply floats back up to the top. Photo by Kathryn Valentino The story behind the cities of the deadĪbove-ground burials are just one of New Orleans’ idiosyncrasies, but they don’t exist solely for the sake of uniqueness. With that in mind, here are a few things to know and prominent gravesites to watch out for. Photographs, on the other hand, are welcome-and your tour guide will be happy to snap a picture of your group. It should go without saying that you mustn’t touch or desecrate the tombs, drink alcohol, or smoke in the cemetery. Properly prepare for the heat, and you’ll be able to get the most out of your visit. You may notice a few savvy tour guides sporting both wide-brim hats and parasols to block the sun. Bring a bottle of water, dress lightly, and don’t forget the sunblock. That’s why proper preparation is key, especially if you’re visiting during the warmer summer months. Why? It’s simple: the sun is intense, there’s very little shade in the cemetery, and the oven vaults block any semblance of a cool river breeze. Any experienced tour guide will tell you they’ve had a tourist overheat. We’d be lying if we said New Orleans’ hot, humid subtropical climate never got the best of anyone. Here’s what to know (and a few things to look out for) before you go. Tickets are only $25 for adults and $18 for children online or at Basin St. That’s because the cemetery has been subject to much vandalism over the years. 1 is accessible only via the Official, guided, licensed tour. One caveat: Unlike most other New Orleans cemeteries, St. Regardless of your motivation, a trip to New Orleans wouldn’t be complete without visiting St. Still, others come to experience the city’s living history via a stroll through its oldest cemetery (St. Louis Cemetery remains an active gravesite). Some come to see the final resting place for Voodoo Queen Marie Laveau, while others come to tend the graves of loved ones interred within (St. Louis Cemetery attracts more than 100,000 visitors each year. As is true for many places in New Orleans, the veil between past and present feels very thin here. In this storied “city of the dead,” elaborate, crumbling above-ground graves hint at the stories of the larger-than-life personalities entombed within. It’s not even past.” Nowhere is this truth more evident than in St. Station on Facebookįormer New Orleanian William Faulker famously wrote, “The past isn’t dead and buried. Photo courtesy of Cemetery Tour New Orleans at Basin St.
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