Virtually New Orleans - Feature Photo of the Week, May 26, 1997

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The Feature Photo is sponsored this week by NOLA Market.

Bernard Xavier Philippe de Marigny de Mandeville was one of the most colorful figures in nineteenth-century New Orleans. Born in 1775 and died in 1868, Bernard developed the neighborhood now known as Faubourg Marigny, and named its streets. Faubourg Marigny is the neighborhood that is just on the downtown side of Esplanade Avenue, and continues to Good Children, after which the Bywater neighborhood takes over.

I'm not going to tell the entire story of Bernard Marigny here, mainly because it's so well told in the book Frenchmen, Desire, Good Children by John Churchill Chase (who also has a street named after him, by the way). Chase, the longtime editorial cartoonist for the New Orleans States-Item newspaper, then WDSU-TV, was also one of the best New Orleans historians ever. This particular book tells the history of the city through its street names. If you've never read it, go to the library and borrow it, or better yet, buy a copy. If you like New Orleans history, you'll really enjoy this book.

This tomb is in St. Louis Cemetery Number One, which is on Basin St., just behind Our Lady of Guadalupe Church (which is on Rampart). This is the oldest cemetery in New Orleans, and has a lot of interesting tombs and history in it. As always, you'll want to read our Cemeteries page prior to venturing into any of our "cities of stone." There are several safety considerations you need to know about, espeically in St. Louis #1 and #2.

Is there some significance to the timing of this Feature Photo? Not really, other than that I got e-mail the other day from a descendant of the Marigny de Mandeville family who is working out his geneaology. He found VNO and asked for some help. I pulled out Chase's book and re-read the section on Marigny to see if I could add anything to this gentleman's efforts. It reminded me of how much fun Chase is to read.

This photo was shot by me, Ed Branley, with a

If you have any comments on the feature photos, please feel free to drop me a line and tell 'em to me!

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