Since Marie Laveau, the famed Voodoo priestess of 19th-century New Orleans, died in 1881, visitors have flocked to her tomb to honor her legacy in the historic city.
Dan Soto/Wikimedia CommonsMarie Laveau’s tomb stands in St. Louis Cemetery No. 1 in New Orleans.
Every year, thousands of visitors flock to Marie Laveau’s tomb in St. Louis Cemetery No. 1 in New Orleans.
Laveau, known as the “Voodoo Queen,” was a 19th-century community leader, healer, and religious figure in the city. She operated a beauty parlor, which allowed her to acquaint herself with the upper echelon of New Orleans and serve as an advisor for issues ranging from domestic disputes to health problems.
After her death in 1881, Laveau was buried in a tomb in the city’s oldest cemetery. Since then, visitors have paid homage to her by leaving offerings at the crypt, marking the stone with various symbols, and even performing rituals.
Unfortunately, this vandalism, however well-intentioned, has caused untold damage to Marie Laveau’s tomb. Even today, nearly 150 years after the Voodoo Queen died, people continue to visit her final resting place to honor her legacy in one of America’s most culturally rich cities.
The Life And Death Of ‘Voodoo Queen’ Marie Laveau
According to historical records, Marie Laveau was born on Sept. 10, 1801, in the French Quarter of New Orleans.
Although her heritage is disputed, historians believe that Laveau was the daughter of Marguerite D’Arcantel, a free woman of African descent, and Charles Laveau, the son of a prominent Creole politician. Other theories suggest that her father was actually Charles Laveaux, a free Black man.
On Aug. 4, 1819, Laveau married a Creole man from Haiti named Jacques Paris. Together, the couple had two children, both of whom died in infancy. Paris later disappeared from official records, leading historians to assume that he died sometime in the early 1820s.
Louisiana State MuseumFor years, this portrait was presumed to depict Marie Laveau, but modern art historians don’t believe that’s the case.
Laveau later began a relationship with Frenchman Jean Louis Christophe Duminy de Glapion. She would stay with him until his death in the 1850s and bear at least seven of his children. Today, they are seemingly all buried together in Marie Laveau’s tomb.
Although Laveau was a respected member of the city’s Catholic community, word that she practiced Voodoo spread during her lifetime. An 1871 article in the New Orleans Republican stated of Laveau: “This good Christian woman, who has been erroneously described by a portion of the press as a ‘Voudou priestess,’ is in reality a devout and acceptable member of the Catholic communion.”
However, Laveau seemingly did carry out rituals and supply those who sought her advice with gris-gris, protective spiritual objects made of things like herbs, oils, bones, hair, and grave dirt. While working as a hairdresser, she advised her clients on everything from family disputes and marital problems to legal issues and finances.
Her influence grew until she earned herself a reputation as New Orleans’ “Voodoo Queen.” Then, on June 15, 1881, Marie Laveau died. The city mourned the loss and threw her a lavish funeral.
The Times-PicayuneA newspaper article from June 1881 announcing the death of Marie Laveau.
“Her remains were followed to the grave by a large concourse of people, the most prominent and the most humble joining in paying their last respects to the dead,” The Times-Picayune reported at the time.
Today, it is widely accepted that Marie Laveau’s tomb stands at plot 347 in St. Louis Cemetery No. 1 in New Orleans, and visitors worldwide still come to pay their respects.
Marie Laveau’s Tomb In St. Louis Cemetery
Although nobody can say for certain where the Voodoo Queen is buried, records strongly suggest that Marie Laveau’s tomb is located in the Glapion family crypt in St. Louis Cemetery No. 1, the oldest cemetery in New Orleans.
The Historic New Orleans CollectionA photograph of Marie Laveau’s tomb from the early 20th century.
Following Laveau’s death, devotees flocked to the tomb to leave offerings and ask for blessings. Some of these offerings left at the tomb include alcohol, flowers, Mardi Gras beads, and food.
“[Visitors come] almost daily to make offerings to Marie’s spirit,” said 19th-century cemetery sextons Raymond Rivaros and Ayola Cruz, according to Carolyn Long’s book A New Orleans Voudou Priestess: The Legend and Reality of Marie Laveau. “They make crosses with red brick, charcoal, and sharp rocks” and “knock three times on the marble slab.”
Chris Waits/FlickrMarie Laveau’s tomb covered in X’s from tourists visiting the cemetery.
One local tour guide named David G. Hedges, founder of Nola Tour Guy who offers private tours and pay-what-you-feel-like tours of the city, revealed how important Marie Laveau’s tomb was to his tour groups.
“People want to leave offerings. People who have a connection — whether it’s ancestor worship or connecting to a powerful Creole woman — a lot of people were specifically on my tour because they wanted to see the tomb and pay respects to Marie Laveau,” Hedges explained to All That’s Interesting.
At some point in history, someone started a rumor that the Voodoo Queen would grant one’s wish if they drew an X on Marie Laveau’s tomb, spun around three times, knocked on the stone, and shouted out their desire. This practice became so common that the crypt was soon covered in X’s, both drawn on with pigment and actually carved into the plaster and stone. However, it is debated whether this ritual is rooted in any real Voodoo practice.
Despite a “no offerings” policy in the cemetery, visitors would often find sneaky ways to bypass the rule, even when under the watchful eye of tour guides.
“They would do it when my back was turned. There was not much I could do about it. At that point, it was mostly coins, but at one point I remember a pair of boxers,” Hedges comically described.
Then, in 2013, one vandal took things a step further.
Marie Laveau’s Tomb As A Major New Orleans Tourist Attraction
Cemetery workers arrived one morning in December 2013 to find that Marie Laveau’s tomb had been painted with bright pink latex paint.
“People were pissed. I think [the person who did it] broke in probably thinking they were doing a good thing,” Hedges explained to All That’s Interesting. The tomb had been restored and desecrated so many times that the person responsible may have painted it to protect it. However, the restoration team soon made the situation worse.
“The Catholic Church power-washed the latex paint off which is the worst thing you could do to it. They were probably thinking ‘Well it’s paint,’ you can just power-wash it off,” Hedges continued.
Ultimately, the crypt needed a full restoration, and the Archdiocese of New Orleans partnered with a non-profit called Save Our Cemeteries to do so over three months in 2014.
Nicolas Nova/FlickrVandals coated Marie Laveau’s tomb with bright pink latex paint in 2013.
During this time, workers struggled to keep vandals away from the fresh plaster. “In the beginning we hoped for the best and put caution tape around the tomb,” Michelle Duhon, the owner of Bayou Preservation, told NOLA.com in 2014. “Then we wrapped the tomb in plastic but that didn’t work either. People cut through the plastic.”
“We had a temporary orange fence around the tomb and we had signs up all the time that said, ‘Do not touch. Preservation in progress,'” Duhon continued. “But all it takes is for one or two people to crawl under, mark up the tomb, and that was all she wrote.”
Miria Grunick/FlickrTourists frequently left gifts at the tomb of New Orleans’ famous Voodoo priestess.
The vandalism got so out of control that the cemetery eventually closed to the public. At first, licensed tour guides were allowed to bring groups into the cemetery. However, after the COVID-19 pandemic, only one tour company was granted permission to enter the cemetery. Understandably, this decision has sparked controversy among tour guides in the city.
“There was a lawsuit. A bunch of tour guides tried to sue the Catholic Church. There is a huge interest in seeing her gravesite, and it’s a big question regarding who should be allowed to see it,” Hedges explained to All That’s Interesting.
Despite the barriers, as many as 200,000 people per year still make the journey to New Orleans to try to pay their respects to the Voodoo Queen of New Orleans — revealing just how much Marie Laveau’s influence endures well beyond her lifetime.
After reading about the history of Marie Laveau’s tomb, go inside the true story of Jesus’ tomb in Jerusalem. Then, learn about the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, the massive tomb now regarded as one of the ancient wonders of the world.
