I can't believe that this is the last day of our trip. We are suppose to go to our favorite place and take a picture. I just did not have a favorite place that stuck out more than others. I took away something different at each location. Since I have to choose I will write about the cemetery. There tradition is just so different from what I am accustomed to. Much like the city itself it is mysterious and enchanting. I like how there customs are and wish that I could have their traditions. When you first get to the cemetery it is completely enclosed. You are greeted with rusty ironwork. There is a man that was standing at the gate to make sure that we are part of a tour group. There are several tour groups that go through the cemetery. There was a group that was in front of us and a group that was behind us. There are now new rules that have been set by the Archdiocese of New Orleans that ALL visitors to St. Louis Cemetery No. 1 must be accompanied by a licensed tour guide. Families with loved ones buried in the cemetery and tomb owners can acquire a special pass to get in. There is instantly a sense of protection for the buried there. As you walk in you are surrounded by rows of tombs that look like streets. I would not call them grave sites or stones. Some of these tombs stand taller than the walls that surround the cemetery. There are tombs that look hundreds of years old and tombs that look like they were just built. Some of the tombs have been renovated due to vandalism and decomposition. The tombs are bleach white. For more than 200 years the people have housed their dead in these above ground tombs. Most of the tombs are not decorative or fancy. They are simple but functional enclosures and most of the doors were bricked over once the burial has taken place. There are tombs that are set aside for people who cannot afford a tomb or who do not have family to bury them. They can be buried in the benevolent society tombs that are set up or in a wall vault that is constructed directly into the walls that surround the cemetery. Those who die are put away in the top of the tomb. When there is another person in the family that dies the tomb is opened up and the person that is in there is then bagged and the coffin destroyed. That person that is decomposed goes into the vault that is on the bottom of the tomb with the previous members of the family if there is any. Then the new person can be put into the top of the tomb. The person that is on top of the tomb has to be buried for at least two years before the next person can be buried. I believe that this allows time for the decomposition of the body. As you walk along the tombs you can feel and see the history on the graves. The crosses at the top of the tombs casts shadows making it feel a little eerie. The cemetery is segregated Catholics from non Catholics. There was a tomb there that has my maiden name on it. I wonder if I can be buried there? If you ever get a chance to visit New Orleans going on a cemetery tour is a must.
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| Laurie and I at the cemetery |
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| Shannon is my maiden name |
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| The benevolent tomb |
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