Side Trips from New Orleans Sights

Academy and Convent of the Sacred Heart

Academy and Convent of the Sacred Heart Review

A magnificent avenue of pines and moss-hung oaks leads to the entrance of the first international branch of Sacred Heart schools (founded in 1821), and the site of the only Vatican-certified miracle to occur in the United States. The miracle occurred when nuns at the convent said novenas to St. John Berchmans, a 15th-century Jesuit priest, on behalf of Mary Wilson, a very ill novice. St. John Berchmans subsequently appeared to Mary twice, and she was suddenly and unexpectedly cured. St. John Berchmans was canonized in 1888. You may enter a shrine on the exact site of the miracle and (by appointment only) tour a museum with artifacts dating from the school's occupation by Union troops during the Civil War.

    Contact Information

  • Address: 1821 Academy Rd., end of Church St.Grand Coteau, LA 70541 | Map It
  • Phone: 337/662-5275
  • Hours: Weekdays 9--3
  • Website:
  • Location: Grand Coteau

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