The Saint Louis Cathedral is the mother church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New Orleans and the oldest cathedral in continuous use in the United States, with a parish founded in 1720. The present building, the third on the site, was completed in 1851 to a design by J.N.B. de Pouilly. It faces Jackson Square in the French Quarter and remains an active parish alongside its role as one of New Orleans' most recognizable landmarks.