St. Francis Xavier Cathedral

St. Francis Xavier Cathedral is the cathedral church of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Alexandria, located in Alexandria, Louisiana.The cathedral was added to the National Register of Historic Places on. The complex includes the cathedral building, St. Francis Academy (erected in 1897), and the rectory (erected in 1896 and renovated in 1930).HistoryThe old parish church of Saint Francis was constructed in 1817. It was the only building in Alexandria spared during the American Civil War. As the Union army pulled out of the town during the disastrous Red River Campaign, Father J. P. Bellier disguised his voice to impersonate that of General Nathaniel Banks, the Union commanding officer, and ordered the troops to spare the church. His plan succeeded and the building was saved.The old building burned down in 1895. Efforts to rebuild a church started immediately. The foundation stone was laid down on. Designed in Gothic revival style by Nicholas J. Clayton, the new church was dedicated on, the first brick church in the city. In 1907, a belfry was added, and the clock was installed in 1908.