St. Landry Catholic Church, Catholic church in Opelousas, Louisiana

St. Landry Catholic Church is a Gothic and Romanesque Revival building completed in 1909 at Opelousas, Louisiana. It measures 189 by 94 feet across the transepts and 74 feet in the body, seating about 2,000 people. Bricks from the earlier church were reused in its foundation, and the interior was finished in the early 1920s with stained-glass windows added under Monsignor Colliard.

A cypress church built by 1764 along the Opelousas River served the parish, was rebuilt in 1774, and was replaced in 1798 by a wood-frame church on the present site, when the parish took the name St. Landry. A brick church consecrated in 1828 gave way to the current building: work began in September 1903, the cornerstone was laid August 8, 1908, and the first Mass was said in April 1909. Bricks of the old church were reused in the foundation.

The parish was first called La Iglesia Parroquial de la Immaculada Concepción del Puesto de Opeluzas, and by 1792 it had been renamed for Landry of Paris, a 7th-century bishop. The church and its cemetery were listed on the National Register of Historic Places on May 5, 1982.

Visitors can experience the building during worship services to see the active congregation gathering. It is best to check with local contacts about visiting times outside services, as access may be limited outside of regular worship hours.

Michel Prudhomme, who donated the land for the church, was laid to rest inside the building itself, creating a direct link between the donor and the congregation. Visitors can see where this important community figure remains.