History

Saint Martin de Tours Church is one of the oldest Catholic churches in America and the third oldest in Louisiana.

It was founded in 1765 by a group of Acadian exiles who arrived that year, the first of many of the unfortunate refugees brutally deported from Acadie in Canada by the British, who came to Louisiana over a period of some twenty years. It was these exiles who established the Acadian culture and traditions that have left an indelible imprint upon the state of Louisiana.

By an act of the State Legislature, approved March 7, 1814, the church was incorporated; and another act, approved March 16, 1820, authorized the congregation to conduct a lottery to raise funds to build a new church. The current church structure was constructed in 1836 and dedicated on June 2, 1844.

Saint Martin de Tours Church has been the center of religious and cultural activities of St. Martinville and the Attakapas Nation since colonial days.

For a fuller account of the Parish's history, click the link in the left menu.