St. Louis #1, NOLA

New Orleans - the greatest city in the world, some of the best times of my life have been spent here. I do not like cities in general and the French Quarter, the historic heart of the city, is filthy, hot and smelly. Tourists crowd the narrow streets, especially the famous Bourbon, and traffic signs are generally considered to be more of a suggestion than a requirement. And yet, the incredible food, the fascinating history, my experiences there, and above all the local people combine to make it one of my favorite destinations.

Because New Orleans is several feet below sea level, typical below ground burials are impractical, and the tradition of above ground entombment became established. By law, burial for "a year and a day" was practiced, and in this way many generations of a single family could be interred in the same space. When a person died and was buried, their body was left undisturbed for 366 days. After that time the crypt could be opened, the coffin broken apart and, because the high heat would have reduced the remains to dust, the remains swept to the back of the tomb to make room for the next resident. Interestingly, if a tomb was needed before the required time had elapsed, a temporary vault could be rented.

In New Orleans cemeteries, you will find four basic types of above ground interment - the oven vault, the stepped tomb, the family tomb, and the mutual benevolent association tomb.

The wall tomb, also known as an oven vault because of its resemblance to a baker's oven, served the dual purpose of both interring the remains of many individuals and creating the walls surrounding the site. These seem to have generally been three tiers high, and over time many have sunken so far into the ground that the lower level is no longer accessible.

A variation on the wall tomb is the family tomb, which is like a free standing section of the wall, and used the same way. A body would be laid to rest for a minimum of a year and a day, and then when it was needed again, the vault would be opened and cleared to make room for the next interment. A family tomb generally consists of one level, the upper vault where the body rests, and a lower chamber called the caveau. When remains were moved to make way for the next burial, they were deposited in this chamber.

The stepped tomb is a single burial method which is perhaps one of the oldest forms of burial used by man. After death, the casket would be laid directly on the ground or on a low brick platform, and a brick structure built up around it, which would then be covered with plaster and perhaps whitewash. Over time, many of these structures have also sunken into the ground, much like the wall tombs.

Mutual Benevolence Association or Society tombs were created by people who banded together to spread out medical bills, help widows, and defer the high cost of burial - a sort of burial insurance. These associations could include people of similar ethnic or national origin, crafts guilds, etc. Many of these tombs were created by the most talented sculptors of the time.

Among others, here you will find the final resting place of the Voo Doo priestess Marie LaVeau. The X markings are graffiti left by those whose understanding of the practices and beliefs of Voo Doo are more formed by popular culture and sensationalized tour guides than by actual fact. In fact, this is a desecration.

An interesting aspect of this site is that it provides an example of the differences in the ways which cultures view death. Although the custom has largely fallen out of favor, some families still gather on the first of November, All Saints Day, at the family crypt for a social gathering. Flowers would be planted, the grave would be cleaned and whitewashed, and family members would draw on the sidewalks and even the crypts themselves, not out of disrespect but as a way of sharing with their departed ancestors. In this way, they were not forgotten.

St. Louis No. 1 is also home to the spectacular Italian Mutual Benevolent Society tomb, which was featured in the movie "Easy Rider". It was built in 1857 for the sum of $40,000 and the exterior is made of imported Italian marble. It was designed by Pietro Gualdi, who was also the first person to be buried in it. Although there are only 24 vaults, the remains of nearly 2,400 people rest within its caveau.

In 1968 the film Easy Rider was filmed in part in St. Louis No. 1 at this tomb, and because of the disrespect shown, the Church has adopted a policy of not allowing a cemetery of theirs to be used in a movie of this type.

New Orleans, LA

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In New Orleans cemeteries, you will find four basic types of above ground interment - the oven vault, the stepped tomb, the family tomb, and the mutual benevolent association tomb.

To learn more about New Orleans' cemeteries, I recommend the following books.

City of the Dead, A Journey Through St. Louis #1, by Robert Florence.

New Orleans Cemeteries, Life in the Cities of the Dead, by Robert Florence.

The St. Louis Cemeteries of New Orleans, by Samuel Wilson Jr. and Leonard Huber.

St. Louis No. 1