New Orleans: The Old Ursuline Convent

When visiting New Orleans, I pay at least one visit to the Old Ursuline Convent, the oldest sections of which date to the 1750s, and even before then by way of some of its interior artifacts. The main buildings have survived city fires, floods and war. The Ursuline nuns eventually moved to other locations in the area, but these convent buildings and grounds still remain under the auspices of the Catholic Church and now serve in the specific role of Catholic Cultural Heritage Center. 

This is the vantage point from the front (formerly the back, until about 1825) entrance to the Old Ursuline Convent. The little building pictured in the middle here is a sort of gateway to the grounds, accessible at the 1112 Chartres Street entrance; there's a cute little gift shop inside. You can just barely see the peak of the front roof of the Beauregard-Keyes House that's on the other side of Chartres Street. 

Inside of Saint Mary's church, a mid-1840s addition to the Old Ursuline Convent.

One of the mysteries to be found inside the Old Ursuline Convent. Note young Jesus rotating what looks like a bowling ball that's painted light blue and decorated with gold stars. What's He up to here?

Saints inside Saint Mary's Church include Saint Lucy, with supernatural eyes on a platter. She is patron saint of writers, salespeople and the blind, among other things.  

Lush vegetation and oranges, or orange-like fruits, grow inside the interior courtyard of the Old Ursuline Convent. Pictured here is a similar scene across the street, in the Beauregard-Keyes House garden.

Today's Rune: Fertility.