Thursday, April 7, 2016

By Kenneth Ellis


Most people think of New Orleans, Louisiana, (NOLA) when they see a fleur-de-lis logo, a stylized representation of a lily. Fleur de lis New Orleans appears three times on the flag of the city. The flowers are gold on a white background. The flag is bordered at the top by a red stripe and on the bottom by a blue one. These colors represent the concepts of fraternity, government, and liberty. This symbol on the NOLA flag is indicative of the strong influence of the French on the city's culture.

New Orleans is a major city in the state of Louisiana and, sitting on the Gulf of Mexico, one of the largest ports in the United States. The city is named in honor of the Duke of Orleans, Regent in early 18th century France. He was born under the sign of Leo in August 1674. His uncle was Louis XIV. His parents had a storm marriage. His name was Philippe II, Duke of Orleans, or Philippe Charles.

The Duke was married to the youngest of his uncle's legitimate daughters, Francoise Marie de Bourbon, which makes her his cousin. In keeping with what would be expected of a Leonine royal prince, Philippe showed an aptitude for leadership and followed his father in the military. When he wasn't leading his troops into battle, he liked to study the natural sciences. He died at the age of 49 in 1723 in Versailles.

The city of NOLA resides on the northwestern coast of Lake Borgne, which houses the Biloxi State Wildlife Management Area. Lake Ponchartrain lies to the north of the city. South of the city lies the Salvadore Wildlife Management Area and Lake Salvador itself.

The French weren't the only Europeans to have an interest in NOLA. In the Treaty of Paris (1763), the French signed over the colony to Spain. During the American Revolutionary War, the port played a key role in smuggling supplies and aid to the rebels. Nearly all of the architecture of the French Quarter dates back to the Spanish period, apart from the Old Ursoline Convent.

Over the years, the Ursoline convent was a sequence of buildings that provided a home for the NOLA nuns from their arrival in 1757. The first building they occupied was designed by Ignace Francois Boutin, who made a fundamental design flaw, perhaps because of lack of familiarity with the local climate. Buildings in that era were usually coated with a layer of stucco to protect the wooden timbers. Boutin neglected this, making the building unsuitable for the ambient humidity, not to mention a fire hazard.

The plans for the new brick, stucco, and colombage building were drawn up by Boutin in the French Neoclassical style. Colombage is a mixture of clay and grass or other fibrous materials. In 1824, the nuns moved to a larger building.

More than 90 percent of the city's population speak English as their primary language. Of the remaining 10 percent, the languages spoken are French, Vietnamese and Spanish. The fleur-de-lis motif is seen everywhere in the city. It is the symbol of the New Orleans Saints, the local NFL football team.




About the Author:



0 commentaires:

Post a Comment

Popular Posts