Twelve Ursuline nuns arrived in New Orleans in 1727 to a citizenry very grateful to receive them. The sisters wasted no time in providing the community with urgently needed medical care and, shortly thereafter, in establishing a school and orphanage for girls. (The Ursuline Academy still thrives after more than 280 years and is the oldest girls' school in the United States.) The extent of the Ursuline nuns' contributions to the city can't be over-stated. And one of those contributions came in the form of Sister Francis Xavier Hebert's herb garden.
In the 1700's, the section of the Old Ursuline Convent which now faces Chartres Street was the rear yard of the convent. In this yard, Sister Xavier planted her herb garden. The garden had been provided for in the treaty of 1726 between the Company of the Indies and the Ursulines: "Sufficient ground, adjoining the house shall be granted...both to erect there the new buildings of which there may be need and to make a garden for the religious."
In colonial times, in addition to its uses in cooking and making beverages, the herb garden was vital in providing medicines essential to comfort, well-being and healing. Sister Xavier's herb garden became critically important to the lives of the people of New Orleans.
From the Old Ursuline Convent Cookbook: "Sister Xavier compounded the medicines for the Royal Hospital and became the first woman pharmacist in the New World. The teas, infusions and distillates which she brewed from the herbs in her garden represented the greater part of what was available in those days for the treatment of the sick. The Royal Hospital commissioned by Louis XV stood next to the convent, since nursing the sick was one of the primary reasons for the coming of the Ursulines to New Orleans in the first place.
"The herbs that can be grown in the New Orleans climate successfully are thyme, sage, rosemary, mint, sweet marjoram, basil, lavender, anise, caraway, bene, sage, catnip, coriander, dill, fennel, horehound, pot marigold, dandelion, penny royal, rue, summer savory, tansy and tarragon. The herbs were gathered at the height of their growth, washed and tied into bundles to dry. They were covered with netting to protect them from dust and insects, and hung in a warm place. When dry, the leaves, seeds or flowers were picked and put into dark bottles, tightly corked, for storage."
Through the years, the Old Convent has served as a makeshift hospital for American and British soldiers after the Battle of New Orleans, also, during yellow fever epidemics; as an orphanage; an Archbishop's residence; a school; the seat of the Louisiana Legislature; a WWII Red Cross center; a residence hall for local bishops; the residence of the Oblate Fathers, who served the Italian community, and more. The Old Ursuline Convent underwent extensive restoration in the 1970's and is now a part of the Archbishop Antoine Blanc Memorial complex and functions as an archive for the Archdiocese of New Orleans. Among its holdings are documents dating back to 1718. (Be sure to see a letter written to the Ursuline sisters by Thomas Jefferson, in 1804, at the bottom of the page.)
Today, thanks to Chef Horst Pfeifer of the Bella Luna Restaurant, who planted and maintains it, an herb garden, once again, flourishes in the rear yard of the Old Convent.
Sister Xavier would be very pleased! |
