French missionary priests arrived here in 1704 to evangelize the Chetimaches Indians, and around 1770 Spanish militiamen built a log chapel on the site. In 1819 the parish erected its first official church building, followed by a brick church in 1843 and today's large Gothic structure, which opened in 1896 after many construction delays. Louisiana's Ascension Parish, founded in 1807, was named for this Donaldsonville church. Through decades of war and peace, parishioners and travelers have found inspiration and consolation here. Ascension Catholic Cemetery is among the oldest and largest in south Louisiana and includes Confederate and Union soldiers, descendants of Acadian exiles, and Dr. Francois Prevost, who performed the first Caesarian section delivery in Louisiana. St. Vincent's Institute was established about 1850 by the Daughters of Charity as a school, hospital, orphanage, and convent; it stood in the line of fire during the Civil War but survived, and the sisters served here for more than 140 years. Today the expanded building survives as Ascension Catholic School. The dome above the altar features Native American designs in memory of the Chetimaches Indians, and the marble columns were carved in Austria, transported here by riverboat, and brought from the dock by a special railroad line built for that purpose.