St. Joseph's Catholic Mission at Bayou Derbonne is a historic Catholic mission founded in the 1800s along the banks of Bayou Derbonne near Montrose and Isle Brevelle in

Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana Natchitoches Parish (french: Paroisse des Natchitoches or ) is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. As of the 2010 census, the population was 39,566. The parish seat is Natchitoches. The parish was formed in 1805. The Natchito ...

, serving the Montrose and Cloutierville Creole community. It was the cultural and religious center of the area's

Louisiana Creole people Louisiana Creoles (french: Créoles de la Louisiane, lou, Moun Kréyòl la Lwizyàn, es, Criollos de Luisiana) are people descended from the inhabitants of colonial Louisiana before it became a part of the United States during the period of bo ...

, predominantly of French descent.

Location

The remnants of the church and cemetery are located on Highway 493 on the banks of Bayou Derbonne near the Cane River Waterway Commission. Nearby are the historic Magnolia Plantation (Derry, Louisiana) and

Melrose Plantation Melrose Plantation, also known as Yucca Plantation, is a National Historic Landmark located in the unincorporated community of Melrose in Natchitoches Parish in north central Louisiana. This is one of the largest plantations in the United Sta ...

History

The chapel was founded by French Creole families in the 1800s as a mission of St. Augustine Catholic Parish Church of Isle Brevelle. During this period, St. Augustine Catholic Parish Church founded 3 other missions:

St. Anne Church (Spanish Lake) The St. Anne Church (Spanish Lake) in the vicinity of Robeline, Louisiana is a historic church founded in the 1800s as a mission from the St. Augustine Parish Church of Isle Brevelle. The current building was built in 1916. It is located at ...

(serving the

Adai Caddo Indians of Louisiana The Adai Caddo Indians of Louisiana (also known as Adai Caddo Indian Nation of Louisiana and the Adai Caddo Tribe) is a state-recognized tribe in Louisiana and 501(c)(3) organization in Robeline, Louisiana. Its members are descendants of the ...

St. Charles Chapel at Bermuda St. Charles Chapel at Bermuda is a historic Catholic chapel founded in the early 1900s along the banks of the Cane River on Isle Brevelle in Natchitoches Parish serving the unincorporated community of Bermuda, Louisiana. It is the cultural ...

, and

St. Anne Chapel at Old River St. Anne Chapel at Old River is a historic Catholic chapel founded in the 1800s along the banks of Old River near Cypress and Isle Brevelle in Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana, serving the Old River community. It is the cultural and religious ...

. Notable Creole founding and patron families include Rachal, Longlois, Lacaze, Metoyer and Brevelle. The mission was initially under the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Natchitoches The Roman Catholic Diocese of Natchitoches was a residential episcopal see of the Catholic Church from 1853 to 1910 and is now a titular see. History Originally, the bishopric of Natchitoches was the Catholic Diocese for the central portions of ...

, which is now part of the

Diocese of Alexandria The Patriarchate of Alexandria is the office and jurisdiction of the bishop of Alexandria in Egypt, referred to since 531 as Patriarch of Alexandria. It originated from Mark the Evangelist and developed until the Council of Chalcedon in 451 when it ...

Notable places

* Natchitoches, Louisiana *

Red River of the South The Red River, or sometimes the Red River of the South, is a major river in the Southern United States. It was named for its reddish water color from passing through red-bed country in its watershed. It is one of several rivers with that name ...

* Cane River *

Bayou Brevelle Bayou Brevelle is a series of interconnected, natural waterways totaling over 18 miles in length in Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana. Its main channel is at Old River (Natchitoches Parish), Old River and Kisatchie Bayou at Montrose to Natchez, Lo ...

Notable people

Clementine Hunter Clementine Hunter (pronounced Clementeen) (late December 1886 or early January 1887 – January 1, 1988) was a self-taught Black folk artist from the Cane River region of Louisiana, who lived and worked on Melrose Plantation. Hunter was b ...

(c. 1887–1988), a self-taught folk artist, she lived at the

and painted this chapel and old river. *

Jean Baptiste Brevelle Jean Baptiste Brevelle (French: ''Jean Baptiste Brevel'') was a Parisian-born trader, explorer, and one of the first soldiers garrisoned at Fort St. Jean Baptiste des Natchitoches in present-day Natchitoches, Louisiana and Le Poste des Cadodaq ...

(1698-1754), early 18th century explorer, trader and soldier of Fort Saint Jean Baptiste des Natchitoches. * Marie Thérèse Coincoin (1742–1816), a planter, former slave turned slave owner and businesswoman. * Anne des Cadeaux (unknown–1754), former Native American slave, mother of Jean Baptiste Brevelle II, and buried on Isle Brevelle. *

Billie Stroud Billie may refer to: People * Billie Allen (1925-2015), American actress * Billie Bird (1908-2002), American actress and comedian * Billie Burke (1884-1970), American actress * Billie Joe Armstrong (born 1972), American singer and guitarist ...

(1919–2010), a self-taught folk artist, used this chapel, Kisatchie Bayou, and Brevelle Bayou as subject of her work and spent time there. *

Robert Brevelle The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, h ...

(born 1977), renowned entrepreneur and tribal councilman of the nearby Adai Caddo Indian Nation, is a lineal descendant of original patrons of St. Augustine Parish Church and St. Anne's Mission Church on Old River.

References

{{reflist Churches in Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana 19th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in the United States Louisiana Creole culture

Location

History

Notable places

Notable people

See also

References