Temple of the Innocent Blood (Introduction)

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In 2011, 2012, and 2014, University of New Orleans conducted archaeological excavations at City Square 1281, a block bounded by Lamanche, Charbonnet, Dorgenois, and Rocheblave streets. This city block was located in the Lower Ninth Ward, and best known as the former location of the Temple of the Innocent Blood, led by Mother Catherine Seals from 1922 to 1930. The archaeological excavations conducted on this site located both statuary and architectural features from the period of the temple and after, interweaving a rich personal history of placemaking during the first half of the twentieth century.