Grand Coteau is noted for its magnificent trees that form alleys, groves, and gardens. Within the district there are over 70 structures designated as architecturally significant. Creole, French, Acadian, Anglo-American, and Victorian styles are reflected in the houses, stores, and religious institutions. Of special significance is this last category, Grand Coteau and Catholicism have been deeply c
onnected for over 175 years. The church and retreat centers continue to provide extensive spiritual and educational guidance for the community and visitors from afar. In the early 1800s, Grand Coteau served as a stopping point for travelers between Washington in St. Martinville in St. The thriving community had two bakeries, a cobbler, millinery, and blacksmith shop, a post office, and an inn where stagecoaches changed horses. In 1821, Mrs. Charles Smith, widow of a wealthy planter in Opelousas, donated land, a two-story building, and funds to pay for the travel expenses of two nuns from St. Charles, Missouri. The two nuns of the Religious of the Sacred Heart founded a convent and a school that became the Academy of the Sacred Heart. The Jesuits arrived in 1837 when St. Charles College, a Jesuit boarding school, was built. The settlement that grew up around the schools was called St. Charles Town before it was changed to Grand Coteau. Although thousands of Federal troops were encamped in the fields surrounding the Academy during the Civil War, the school was not touched. Union General Nathaniel Banks had a daughter in school in New York run by the Religious of the Sacred Heart, and he was asked to look after the Grand Coteau sisters and their students. The first Jesuit rector of St. Charles College planted the alley of oak trees that runs from the front of the Academy to the town of Grand Coteau. The Jesuit priests served as chaplains for the cloistered nuns and the Academy students, and the trees were planted to protect them from the intense summer sun as they rode back and forth between the two schools. Today, the college is used as a Jesuit seminary and spirituality center. The lovely grounds include the dairy barn, one of the town's landmarks. Visitors to Grand Coteau are always taken aback with the beauty of the trees and gardens and the stately serenity of the buildings. Hear the story and visit the shrine of the Miracle of Grand Coteau at the Academy of the Sacred Heart, then stop to browse the antique and gift shops, or sample the local cuisine. The shops and restaurants, all housed in renovated, historic buildings, are a treat in themselves." Source: http://www.cajuntravel.com/towns.php?name=grand-coteau
