History of the Episcopal Church of the Epiphany

     In 1844, Episcopalians in the area gathered for a
visit by the Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of
Louisiana,  the Right Reverend Leonidas Polk, during
which he baptized three adults and three children.
According to records kept by the Diocese, Epiphany was
established as a mission of the Episcopal church that
same year.

     Prior to the building of a church structure, a
succession of Episcopal priests conducted services for
Episcopalians at various locations in the area,
including a chapel loaned by the city's Methodist
congregation. In 1854, a local plantation owner,
Harvey Hopkins, donated land for a church to be built.
The cornerstone for the church was laid in 1857. Four
years after Hopkins donated the land, and with the
arrival of the Reverend W.K. Douglass in 1858, the
church structure was consecrated. The generosity and
service of  Harvey Hopkins as Epiphany's senior warden
is noted among several memorial tablets both on the
interior and exterior of the church.

     During the Civil War, Union General Nathaniel Banks
and his troops occupied the church building which was
defaced by the soldiers who mutilated the windows,
burned some of the original pews and wrote graffiti on
the walls. Historical legend reports that the church
was used as a stable for the horses, with the pews
used as feeding troughs. The same legend also reports
that teeth marks from the horses can still be seen on
some of the pews that were original to the church. The
church building was also used by troops as a hospital,
guard house and barracks for Union soldiers encamped
in the area. Unfortunately, during this time many of
the early church records were destroyed so legend and
oral narratives of area residents and parishioners
became vital to preserving the history of the church
parish as it survived through its early turbulent
years.
     After the Civil War, the church interior was restored
and enhanced over the years through the generosity of
its parishioners and other local residents, including
a stained glass window behind the church altar donated
by Louis Comfort Tiffany of the Tiffany Glass Company
located in New York. According to legend, many women
of the church donated their gold jewelry to collect
money for the commissioning of a window to become an
added focal point with the altar. When the amount
collected was not enough, Tiffany graciously donated
the window. 

     Today, the church property includes a parish hall
built in 1951, and other buildings such as Epiphany
Day School which enrolls students from New Iberia and
surrounding cities in Pre-K3 through fifth grade.                                               Many students choose to continue their education at                                      the Episcopal School of Acadiana for grades 6-12, located on
historical property in the nearby town of Cade.
     Located on the corner of Jefferson and Main Streets,
the church is the oldest public (non-residential)
structure in New Iberia and is on the National
Register of Historic Places. It is the oldest
Episcopal church building in the Diocese of Western Louisiana.

The Episcopal Church of the Epiphany
303 West Main Street   New Iberia, LA  70560