I hadn’t visited VdP before, for a variety of reasons. For one, it sits just off N. Robertson, the main thoroughfare into the Lower 9th Ward, and although there are many lovely areas of their Bywater neighborhood, this cemetery isn’t situated in one of them.  It may or may not actually be dangerous- I haven’t looked into those blocks specifically, but it looks…well,  let’s say uninviting. It’s also pretty far off the beaten track, so I decided I wasn’t missing too much after I’d looked it up in New Orleans Architecture (Vol. III: The Cemeteries) and found this description:

In the past three quarters of a century they have built hundreds of vaults and tombs in the three cemeteries, including a two-storied community mausoleum in the third section. … There are hundreds of smaller tombs of pedestrian design; the cemeteries are literally jammed with them.

But earlier this week I found myself heading out to Chalmette and as I passed St. Vincent de Paul I made a snap decision to go take a quick peek. I felt fairly confident that if any day would be a “safe” day, this was it- early on a 90+ degree Monday morning would find most people at home, not wandering around looking for trouble. So off I went, and I’m glad I did. There might be many “pedestrian” tombs in the graveyard, and many of them not very old, but they did have the most amazing collection of wall tomb marble carvings and ironwork I’ve ever seen:

Much of it was simple, true, but there were many more ornate examples that live on. Most of the other cemeteries’ wall tomb iron has either rusted away or been stolen, so it was fantastic to see so much still there. Lots more photos in the flickr gallery here.

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