Cathedral of Saint John the Evangelist, Cathedral in downtown Lafayette, United States

The Cathedral of Saint John the Evangelist is the third church on this site at 515 Cathedral Street, completed in 1916 in the Dutch Romanesque Revival style. The large red and white brick structure has stained glass made in Munich depicting the life of Saint John, oil paintings of Christ and the Apostles, and a Casavant Frères organ.

The parish was founded in 1821 on land donated by Jean Mouton, the planter who had laid out Vermilionville, and it was the first parish in Lafayette Parish. The present church is the third building on the site: its cornerstone was laid in 1913 and it was completed in 1916. When the Diocese of Lafayette was erected in 1918, the church became its cathedral and mother church.

The interior displays stained glass windows from Munich showing scenes of Saint John, alongside oil paintings of Christ and the Apostles on the walls. These artworks create a deeply religious setting for worship and reflection.

The building is open to the public during regular Mass services, allowing visitors to attend liturgical celebrations. The adjacent historic cemetery offers a place to walk and learn about the site's long history.

St. John's Cemetery beside the cathedral is the oldest in Lafayette. Among its burials are Jean Mouton, who donated the church land in 1821, his son Alexandre Mouton, a U.S. senator and Louisiana governor, his grandson Alfred Mouton, a Confederate general, and diplomat Jefferson Caffery. The church, Bishop's residence and 7-acre cemetery were listed on the National Register of Historic Places on July 27, 1979, and the listing was enlarged in 2024.