David Broussard
Conservator
St. Gabriel, La.

Historic American Bldgs. Survey Drawing completed under the direction of Prof. J.D.Edwards, LSU Anthropologist

We talked about Creole architecture, the defining element is the gallery. When you uncover what is here at this building, you see evidence that the old St. Gabriel Church was once surrounded by a gallery, a very rare Church form although there were a few of these type Churches. We have documents of these type churches as well as homes, many of the homes were of this common form.

Modelling

The gallery surrounding the building was to keep the heat and rain away from the building. Some have suggested that this gallery invention certainly was due to the climate that was here, but it may well have been brought here from the African tradition where you had more open-air living spaces.