Old Ursuline Convent Museum, New Orleans

10/22/2026

We are temporarily closed, but we can’t wait to welcome you back and “unveil” our new exhibit on Saturday, Oct. 31. Learn more about “Beyond the Veil: Voices From the Ursuline Convent” at the link in the comments.

09/17/2026

On this day in 1864, Ferdinand Baquié and Eugénie Grambois, Pope Leo XIV's great-grandparents, were married at St. Mary’s Church here on the site of the Old Ursuline Convent Museum, New Orleans.

Then, on the same day 23 years later, his maternal grandparents, Joseph Martinez and Louise Baquié, also were married in New Orleans at Our Lady of the Sacred Heart on Annette Street. Their daughter Mildred, Pope Leo's mother, was born in Chicago, the first child in the family to not be born in New Orleans.

Today, we remember both of their wedding anniversaries and celebrate Pope Leo's many connections to the Crescent City.
Discover more of the story in Rooted in Faith: Pope Leo XIV’s Louisiana Lineage at the Old Ursuline Convent Museum.

09/14/2026

A blessed birthday to the Holy Father! We're proud to have his New Orleans family tree on display at the Old Ursuline Convent Museum.

Happy birthday to Pope Leo XIV, the first American pope, whose family roots trace back to our beloved New Orleans. We are grateful for his leadership, and we wish him a year of good health, joy, peace, strength, and wisdom.

08/07/2026

On this day in 1727, Ursuline nuns arrived in New Orleans to staff the French military hospital, but quickly moved into their core ministry of education. In year 299 of this tradition, we look forward to celebrating the Ursulines' Tricentennial next year with Ursuline Academy of New Orleans and other communities throughout the Archdiocese of New Orleans.

07/13/2026

We are so proud to own and display the Heritage Edition of the Saint John's Bible! We currently only have the capacity to display one of the seven books at a time. We recently put on display the Wisdom books of the Old Testament. This is a Bible our donors want you to have access to and to touch and turn the pages (carefully and with clean hands, of course). Please come and enjoy the beautiful art and calligraphy. You will be inspired and will experience the Word in new ways.

07/06/2026

We're doing important work to prepare for 2026-27. See you on Wednesday!

07/03/2026

Thank you to the more than 300 guests who visited us over the course of just three hourse for The French Quarter Museum Association Night 2026! What a night for us and our sister institutions in the Vieux Carré! Come back soon--perhaps this fall when we will install an exhibit celebrating the tricentennial of the Ursulines' arrival in New Orleans. Oh--for next summer's Museum Night, we promise to order a little more w**e. Glad you enjoyed it.

06/27/2026

Due to an unexpected street closure near our site, we have closed the Old Ursuline Convent Museum for today, Saturday, June 27, 2026. We apologize for this and hope to see you Tuesday when we reopen as scheduled.

06/18/2026

Please note our altered schedule for the next several days. Thank you, and hope to see you here soon!

05/13/2026

Now on display in our museum! The Heritage Edition of The Saint John’s Bible is the first handwritten and illuminated Bible commissioned by a Benedictine institution since the invention of the printing press.

This work of sacred art, which was gifted to the Catholic Cultural Center of New Orleans by Dallas philanthropists Elaine and Bruce Culver following the Jan. 1, 2025, terrorist attack on Bourbon Street, encourages guests to experience Scripture through meticulous calligraphy, vivid illuminations, and passages that continue to resonate today.

As Pope Leo XIV recently reminded us, the Gospel urges us to welcome the stranger, to recognize the humanity and dignity of all people, and to "open our arms and hearts" to migrants and refugees.

The historic Cope of St. John Vianney, the beloved Curé of Ars and patron saint of parish priests, is now on exhibit, as well.

Come check it all out at 1112 Chartres St., Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.