A Cemetery In New Orleans Near The Famous French Quarter, Where A Plethora Of Famous Citizens Lie, Including Nicolas Cage's Tomb
Bob Dylan has said that the first thing noticed in New Orleans are the cemeteries which is a truism - the cold, hard elaborate walls of Greek, Catholic, and Roman-influenced sepulchers rise from the ground immediately and makes one realize the vibe of this different place, one of the most unique and exciting cities in America.
In one of these cemeteries, St. Louis No 1, near the famous French Quarter, lies a plethora of famous citizens from the Big Easy. Strolling through cracked concrete paths, only accessible with a guide, visitors can uncovers listings dating from the 1700s…recognizable names and symbols abound - Marie Laveau, the queen of Voodoo, Homer Plessy, made famous by Plessy Vs. Ferguson, Nicolas Cage, famous Jazz musicians…
Nicolas Cage? Yes - Nicolas Cage has a future tomb reserved for himself in one of the oldest cemeteries in one of the oldest cities in America. Why would the hard working native-Californian actor want a permanent home here? “Nic loves New Orleans. He considers it his spiritual home,” explains Luke Siddall, tour guide and manager of French Quarter Phantoms Tour Company. Cage’s tomb itself is a nine-foot-tall pyramid with the Latin words “Omnia ab uno” (“all from one”) inscribed on it, along with the likely lipstick kisses from female visitors who pilgrimage to this spot.
The reason for the pyramid? “It is actually a style - Egyptian, of course” Siddall laughs, “though some speculate other reasons.” The playful and eccentric Cage has not revealed why he has a tomb in New Orleans, nor why it is shaped the way it is. “The tomb was purchased in 2010, around the time Cage was starring in ‘National Treasure’,” Siddall explains, “Some say he designed it this way from his research doing the film - the pyramid on the back of the dollar bill, the illuminati, all that kind of stuff.”
Cage’s association with the city takes visitors on a journey throughout historic New Orleans and it’s eerie history. In the 2000s, he owned two properties in the New Orleans - Our Lady of Perpetual Help Chapel in the Garden District and the infamously haunted Lalaurie Mansion in the French Quarter - losing both to bankruptcy in 2009.
Our Lady of Perpetual Help Chapel was once owned by the Vampire Chronicles author Anne Rice, where she created a shrine and based some of her books. A beautiful white building, with sweeping balconies characteristic of the French south, Cage bought this property from her as one of his vacation homes.
The Lalaurie mansion in the French Quarter is perhaps one of the most haunted places in the USA. Madame Lalaurie bought the property in 1831. The rumors and facts that have been passed down by innumerable ghost tours and historians show her as a ruthless individual that tortured slaves in horrible ways. After a fire in 1834, she left and the property has passed through many hands since then. “It’s referred to as the Lalaurie curse,” Siddall says. No one has kept the property more than about 5 years - losing it to suicide, accidental deaths, and financial ruin. It was once a bar and that didn’t even survive. A bar in the French Quarter not making it is nothing short of incredible.”
Some speculate Cage built the tomb when he lost the property in 2009 to get rid of the curse, hoping proximity to the tomb of the voodoo queen herself, Marie Laveau, will lift it. Voodoo, simplistically defined as a religion originating in Africa and developing into a combination of Native American, African, and Catholic traditions, is a strong force in the Crescent City. Laveau was alive in the 19th century, the daughter of a free Creole woman and the mayor of New Orleans, and enjoyed a large following of her voodoo practices in life, as well as in death. Many people leave trinkets and symbols on her alleged grave in St. Louis no 1.
This area continues to feed the mythology of New Orleans. “As the saying goes,” Siddall chuckles, “the longer you are in New Orleans, the less fit you are to live anywhere else.”
Andrew Malo
A graduate of Northeastern Illinois University in Education, Andrew has taught for the past decade in Chicago, New Mexico, and Japan. He enjoys tinkering with trucks and motorcycles, woodworking, reading and computer programming.
Make Sure To Stay At:
French Quarter RV Resort, conveniently located in the heart of downtown New Orleans, less than a ¼ mile from I-10 Exit 235A and within short walking distance of the French Quarter and several other major tourist attractions.