FAITH · HISTORICAL MARKER
St. Joseph's Catholic Church & Cemetery
Faith
3
After the new settlement of Rayne was established, the site of St. Joseph's Catholic Church and Cemetery was chosen, and in 1882 the old church from the original Poupeville settlement was mounted on huge wooden wheels and moved there. The cemetery beside the church was for many years the only known Christian cemetery, and its graves were laid lengthwise in a north-south position. Ancient Christian custom places graves east-west so the dead lie facing the rising sun, a symbol of Christ's resurrection, but although folklore about this cemetery's unusual alignment has been passed down in stories over the years, no one knows for certain why it does not follow that tradition.
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Rayne, Louisiana
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