St. Martin de Tours Catholic Church

St. Martin de Tours Catholic Church is at 133 S. Main St. One of the oldest churches in the state, it was established in 1765 by a group of Acadian exiles. The present edifice, dedicated in 1844, has a replica of the Grotto of Lourdes constructed in the late 1870s by Pierre Martinet, a freed slave. Jean Francois Mouchet's painting of St. Martin of Tours hangs above the main altar. The white marble baptismal font was believed to have been a gift from Louis XVI.

A bronze statue of Evangeline, the heroine of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's poem “Evangeline: A Tale of Acadie,” stands in the churchyard. Actress Dolores del Rio donated the statue after starring in the 1929 silent film “Evangeline,” which was shot in the area.