St. John's Cathedral (Lafayette, Louisiana)

{{short description|Historic church in Louisiana, United States}}

{{Infobox church

| name = Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist

| fullname =

| image = St. John's Cathedral Lafayette LA 2021 2.jpg

| imagesize = 250px

| caption = Front façade

| location = 515 Cathedral Street
Lafayette, Louisiana

| country = United States

| denomination = Roman Catholic

| website = {{URL|http://www.saintjohncathedral.org/}}

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| dedicated date = June 27, 1916{{cite news|title=Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist celebrates 100 year dedication|url=http://klfy.com/2016/06/27/cathedral-of-st-john-the-evangelist-celebrates-100-year-dedication/|publisher=KLFY-TV|date=June 27, 2016}}

| consecrated date =

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| status = Cathedral

| functional status = Active

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| style = Romanesque Revival

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| tower quantity = 1

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| diocese = Lafayette (Louisiana)

| province = New Orleans

| bishop = J. Douglas Deshotel

| rector = Very Rev. Chester C. Arceneaux, V.F.{{cite web|title=Parish Staff|url=http://www.saintjohncathedral.org/Contact.html|publisher=saintjohncathedral.org}}

| priest = Rev. David Furka (Parochial Vicar),

Rev. Cyprian Eze (In Residence)

| deacon = Dcn. Todd McKee,

Dcn. George Jourdan,
Dcn. Kyle Polozola

| embedded = {{Infobox NRHP

| embed = yes

| name = St. John's Cathedral

| nrhp_type =

| image =

| caption =

| location = 515 Cathedral Street, Lafayette, Louisiana

| coordinates = {{coord|30.22291|-92.0235|format=dms|display=inline,title,source:ProprioMeOW}}

| locmapin = Lafayette

| built = 1916

| architect = Cousin

| architecture = Romanesque Revival

| added = July 27, 1979

| area = {{convert|7|acre|ha}}

| refnum = 79001067{{NRISref|2013a}}

| increase = January 25, 2024

| increase_refnum = 100009428

}}

The Cathedral of Saint John the Evangelist or La Cathédrale St-Jean, originally called l'Église St-Jean du Vermilion, is the cathedral and mother church of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Lafayette in Louisiana. It was the first parish in Lafayette Parish—founded in 1821—and was designated cathedral upon the erection of the diocese in 1918.

The historic church—located at 515 Cathedral Street in downtown Lafayette—is the third structure built on the site. The land was donated in 1821 by Jean Mouton, a wealthy planter who had founded the town as Vermilionville.{{cite web|title=Cathedral of Saint John

|author=Louisiana Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism |url=http://www.stoppingpoints.com/louisiana/Lafayette/Cathedral+of+Saint+John+the+Evangelist.html}} The cornerstone was laid in 1913, and the church was completed in 1916 in the Dutch Romanesque Revival style. A large red and white brick structure, its notable features include stained glass produced in Munich depicting the life of the patron, oil paintings of Christ and the Apostles, and a Casavant Frères organ.{{cite web|url=https://www.crt.state.la.us/dataprojects/hp/nhl/attachments/Parish28/Scans/28019001.pdf|title=St. John's Cathedral|publisher=State of Louisiana's Division of Historic Preservation |author= |date=|accessdate=July 9, 2018}} with [https://www.crt.state.la.us/dataprojects/hp/nhl/view.asp?ID=389 two photos and a map]{{cite web|url={{NRHP url|id=79001067}}|title=National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination Form: St. John's Cathedral|publisher=National Park Service|author=Ms. Beverly Latimer|date=|accessdate=July 9, 2018}} With {{NRHP url|id=79001067|photos=y|title=seven photos from 1979}}.

St. John's Cemetery is the oldest in the city of Lafayette.{{cite web|url=http://www.saintjohncathedral.org/Our_Church.html |title=Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist |publisher=Saintjohncathedral.org |date=2008-05-30 |accessdate=2016-12-02}} Notable burials include Jean Mouton, who donated the property for the church; his son Alexandre Mouton, a U.S. senator and governor of Louisiana; his grandson Alfred Mouton, a Confederate general in the American Civil War; and Jefferson Caffery, a distinguished U.S. diplomat who was a Lafayette native.

The church and a {{convert|7|acre|ha|adj=on}} area comprising the Bishop's residence and the cemetery was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on July 27, 1979. The listing was enlarged in 2024.