The Old Ursuline Convent Museum is a historic museum occupying the oldest building in the Mississippi River Valley. It’s located at 1100 Chartres Street in the French Quarter of New Orleans, Louisiana. Built between 1745 and 1752 under French colonial authority, the convent has served as a nunnery, orphanage, school for girls, meeting place for the Louisiana Legislature, and residence of New Orleans archbishops. This guide covers opening hours, admission, transport, accessibility, and practical visitor tips.
Updated May 2026. The museum has opened a new exhibit on Pope Leo XIV — elected in May 2025 — and his ancestral ties to New Orleans, traced through his maternal lineage. No existing guide reflects this exhibit. The museum also participates in the Go City New Orleans pass, which covers admission alongside dozens of other attractions. Book your admission through Viator to confirm your entry in advance.
Quick facts: Old Ursuline Convent Museum, New Orleans
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Address | 1100 Chartres Street, New Orleans, LA (French Quarter) |
| Opening hours | Tuesday–Saturday, 10:00am–3:00pm |
| Closed | Sunday and Monday; check the official site for public holiday closures |
| Adult admission | $10 |
| Senior admission | $9 |
| Student / military admission | $7 |
| Go City pass | Accepted |
| Tour format | Self-guided; guided docent tours available based on staff availability |
| Nearest streetcar | Ursulines Station (~1 minute walk) |
| Parking | No dedicated parking; paid options in the French Quarter |
| Typical visit duration | 45 minutes–1.5 hours |
Old Ursuline Convent Museum opening hours
The museum is open Tuesday through Saturday, 10:00am to 3:00pm. It is closed on Sundays and Mondays. The gift shop keeps the same hours. Check the official site before visiting on public holidays, as closures are not always listed in advance.
Old Ursuline Convent Museum ticket prices
Tickets are available at the museum on arrival or in advance through Viator.
| Visitor | Price |
|---|---|
| Adults | $10 |
| Seniors | $9 |
| Students and military | $7 |
Go City New Orleans pass: The museum is included in the Go City New Orleans pass alongside dozens of other city attractions. Present your pass at the door on arrival.
Guided docent tours are available based on staff availability on the day and are included in the standard admission price. There is no audio guide; the museum is primarily self-guided.
Book your admission through Viator to lock in your visit.
Ticket prices were confirmed from the official museum hours page and last updated in May 2026.
Why visit the Old Ursuline Convent Museum?
- 🏛️ The oldest building in the Mississippi River Valley: Completed in 1752 under French colonial authority, the convent predates the United States and is one of the most significant surviving structures of French colonial North America. No other building in the Mississippi Valley is older.
- ⛪ New exhibit — Pope Leo XIV and New Orleans: Pope Leo XIV, elected in May 2025, has ancestral ties to New Orleans traced through his maternal lineage. The museum’s new exhibit explores this connection and the deep Catholic roots linking the papacy to the city’s history. No older guide covers this.
- 📜 Six roles across three centuries: Convent, orphanage, girls’ school, Louisiana Legislature meeting house, Archbishop’s residence, Archdiocesan archive — the building’s layered history makes it one of the most multi-faceted historic sites in the American South.
- 💒 St. Mary’s Church on the same campus: The 1845 church at 1116 Chartres Street served as the place of worship for New Orleans’s archbishops and remains a beautiful and active sacred space. Admission to the museum includes access to the church and its painted wood ceiling.
- 🤫 A quiet escape from the French Quarter: Visitor reviews consistently describe the convent as a calm, unhurried space — rare on Chartres Street. The courtyard, in particular, offers a reflective contrast to the activity immediately outside its walls.
How to get to the Old Ursuline Convent Museum
The museum is on Chartres Street in the Lower French Quarter, between Ursulines Avenue and Governor Nicholls Street.
By streetcar: The Rampart–St. Claude Streetcar line’s Ursulines Station is approximately one minute’s walk from the museum entrance. This is the most direct public transit option.
By bus: RTA Bus routes 5 and 55 stop at Decatur Street and Ursulines Avenue, one block from the museum. Route 49 stops at Ursulines Avenue, from where it is a five-block walk to Chartres Street.
By hop-on hop-off bus: The French Market stop is nearby and is served by most New Orleans sightseeing bus circuits.
On foot: The museum is approximately 10 minutes’ walk from Jackson Square and 15 minutes from Canal Street.
Parking at the Old Ursuline Convent Museum
There is no dedicated parking at the museum. The French Quarter has a number of paid parking garages and surface lots, most of which charge hourly rates. Walking, cycling, or using public transit is strongly recommended. Street parking in the French Quarter is extremely limited.
Why book the Go City New Orleans All-Inclusive Pass?
- 🎺 Access to 25+ Top Attractions: Take total control of your itinerary with admission to the city’s premier cultural sites, including the National WWII Museum, Mardi Gras World, and the Audubon Zoo.
- 🚢 Paddlewheeler Creole Queen Cruise: Take to the waters of the Mississippi River on an authentic, historical paddlewheeler cruise to take in beautiful views of the city skyline and local riverfront landmarks.
- 🐊 Cajun Swamp & Bayou Tours: Journey out into the mystical Louisiana wetlands on a guided boat tour to spot wild alligators, native birds, and moss-draped cypress trees up close.
- 🎭 French Quarter Walking Tours: Deepen your knowledge of local lore with multiple included walking tour options covering the city’s legendary ghost stories, voodoo history, and stunning French Quarter architecture.
- 📲 Convenient Digital Pass: Enjoy a completely paperless experience by loading your multi-day pass directly onto your smartphone using the free Go City app, complete with maps and attraction entry details.
How long to spend at the Old Ursuline Convent Museum
Most visitors spend 45 minutes to one and a half hours. The self-guided route covers the convent building, the courtyard, the permanent and temporary exhibitions, and St. Mary’s Church. If a docent tour is available, it typically extends the visit by 20–30 minutes.
Accessibility at the Old Ursuline Convent Museum
The historic building contains stairs and uneven surfaces. Visitor reviews note that the museum may present challenges for visitors with significant mobility limitations. Contact the museum directly before visiting to confirm current accessibility arrangements.
Dress code
A dress code is enforced, particularly in St. Mary’s Church. Shoulders must be covered and shorts below the knee are required. Visitors in inappropriate attire may be refused entry to the church. This applies regardless of outside temperature or the casual nature of the surrounding French Quarter.
Inside the Old Ursuline Convent Museum: what to see
The convent building itself is the primary exhibit. Designed in 1745 by French colonial engineers and completed in 1752–53, it uses brick-between-post construction covered in white plaster, with twelve bays across two floors and an attic level. The facade’s many doors and windows were deliberately designed for the Louisiana climate to promote cross-ventilation. The interior retains the character of a French colonial institutional building.
Permanent exhibitions cover the history of the Ursuline Order in Louisiana, including their establishment of the first Catholic school for girls in North America, their role in nursing the sick during epidemics, and their management of the orphanage that cared for children left without parents after outbreaks of yellow fever and other diseases.
The Pope Leo XIV exhibit is the museum’s newest addition. Pope Leo XIV — born Robert Francis Prevost, elected to the papacy in May 2025 — has ancestral connections to New Orleans traced through his maternal lineage. The exhibit explores these ties and the deep Catholic heritage of the city that made a connection to the papacy feel to many New Orleanians like a personal one.
Temporary exhibitions rotate periodically. Check the official site for current additional content.
The cypress spiral staircase in the corner of the building is one of the most photographed features of the interior — an 18th-century construction of remarkable precision in a local material.
Religious art and archival documents throughout the building include oil paintings of past archbishops and bishops, religious statues, and items that passed through the Archdiocesan archives when the building served that function.
St. Mary’s Church (1116 Chartres St.) is on the museum campus and included in the admission. Built in 1845 — slightly older than the current St. Louis Cathedral — it served as the chapel for the Archbishops of New Orleans throughout the 19th century. The painted wood ceiling, multiple statues of female saints, and the monstrance above the sacristy are consistently singled out in visitor reviews.
The courtyard is a quiet landscaped space between the main building and the street, accessible during museum hours.
Practical visitor tips for the Old Ursuline Convent Museum
| Tip | Detail |
|---|---|
| Dress conservatively | A strict dress code applies, particularly in St. Mary’s Church. Shoulders must be covered; shorts should be at or below the knee. Visitors who are not appropriately dressed will not be permitted to enter the church. Plan your outfit before visiting. |
| The museum is closed on Sundays and Mondays | This is the most common planning error. Tuesday through Saturday only, 10am–3pm. If your New Orleans visit is a weekend trip, plan the convent visit for Saturday. |
| Go City pass holders go straight to the door | Present your pass at entry — no separate ticket purchase is needed. |
| The busiest time is Friday 11am–1pm | According to visitor traffic data, Friday midday is peak. Arriving at 10am or after 2pm on any open day offers a significantly quieter experience. |
| No audio guide is currently available | The museum is self-guided, with printed exhibit panels. Docent tours are offered subject to staff availability — ask at the entrance when you arrive. |
Frequently asked questions about the Old Ursuline Convent Museum
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Is the Old Ursuline Convent Museum open on Sundays? | No. The museum is open Tuesday through Saturday only, 10:00am to 3:00pm. It is closed on Sundays and Mondays. |
| Is the Old Ursuline Convent included in the Go City pass? | Yes. Present your Go City New Orleans pass at the entrance for included admission. |
| Is there a dress code? | Yes. Shoulders must be covered and knee-length shorts or longer are required. The dress code is enforced, particularly for entry to St. Mary’s Church on the campus. |
| What is the Pope Leo XIV connection? | Pope Leo XIV, elected in May 2025, has ancestral ties to New Orleans traced through his maternal lineage. The museum has opened a dedicated exhibit exploring this connection and his deep Catholic roots in the city’s history. |
| Is the museum suitable for children? | Yes. The building and its history are engaging for older children and teenagers. The courtyard and church are pleasant spaces for all ages. |
Things to do near the Old Ursuline Convent Museum
Jackson Square (~10 minutes’ walk north) is the historic heart of the French Quarter, with St. Louis Cathedral, the Cabildo and Presbytère museums, artists and street performers, and views of the Mississippi River levee.
The French Market (~5 minutes’ walk north) is a covered outdoor market on Decatur Street with produce, crafts, prepared food, and souvenir stalls running from Jackson Square to the Faubourg Marigny.
Gallier House Museum (1118–1132 Royal Street, walking distance, ticketed) is a meticulously restored 1857 townhouse that provides insight into both the free Creole elite and the enslaved domestic workers of antebellum New Orleans.
The Cabildo (701 Chartres Street, ~10 minutes’ walk north, State of Louisiana museum, ticketed) is the building where the Louisiana Purchase was signed in 1803, now housing the Louisiana State Museum’s collection on colonial and antebellum Louisiana history.
St. Louis Cathedral-Basilica (615 Pere Antoine Alley, facing Jackson Square, free) is the oldest continuously active Roman Catholic cathedral in the United States. Entry to the cathedral itself is free; it forms the central axis of the Catholic Cultural Center alongside the Old Ursuline Convent.
What to visit tomorrow: historic and religious sites within two hours of New Orleans
Laura Plantation (Vacherie, LA, ~60 miles west, ~1 hour) is the River Road’s most document-rich plantation site, offering a fully guided tour in English and French based on first-person accounts and archival records. TripAdvisor’s #1 tour on the River Road.
St. Joseph and Felicity Plantations (Vacherie, LA, ~65 miles west, ~1 hour) are working sugarcane plantations with intimate guided tours covering both the free Creole family history and the enslaved community on each site.
Whitney Plantation (Wallace, LA, ~45 miles west, ~50 minutes) is the only Louisiana plantation museum whose primary interpretive focus is the lives of the enslaved, with documented first-name records, original field cabins, and commissioned sculpture.
Myrtles Plantation (St. Francisville, LA, ~90 miles north, ~1.5 hours) is a late-18th-century plantation house known as one of America’s most haunted buildings, with guided tours and overnight accommodation.
Baton Rouge (80 miles north-west, ~1 hour) offers the Old State Capitol (a Gothic Revival castle housing Louisiana political history), the USS Kidd Veterans Museum, and the Louisiana Art and Science Museum in a renovated Illinois Central Railroad building.
