A pilgrimage site for devotees and tourists alike for nearly a century, the tomb located at St. Louis Cemetery No. 1 had been the highlight of many a city tours and contributed in no small way to the thriving tourist industry in New Orleans. More importantly, it has been the center of the sacred geography of New Orleans as a place of religious worship for New Orleans Voudouists for years now. The vandalism that occurred over the years, coupled with the last act of desecration resulting in a pink tomb, was the last straw. As a result, access to the tomb has been limited ever since to all but tour guides and their customers. Understandably, this does not sit well with Marie Laveau devotees. No one wants to pay a tour guide to pay their respects to the Mother of New Orleans Voudou when they had been doing so for years for free. And, most of the tour guides are not concerned with religion. They are concerned with making a living. So, what was the solution?
As it turns out, New Orleans artist Ricardo Pustanio, world-renowned for his spectacular design and sculpturing of paper maché floats during the annual Mid-City Mardi Gras parade, donated a large statue of Marie Laveau to Mambo Sallie Anne Glassman of La Source Ancienne Ounfo. They have known each other for twenty-five years, and one year he attended one of Mambo Sallie Anne’s annual head washing ceremonies at Bayou St. John on St. John’s Eve. He felt the celebration needed a focal point; hence, the donation of the statue of Marie Laveau. After the ceremony was over, she brought the statue back to the Island Salvation Botanica and set it outside the back door as it was too large to bring indoors. Soon, she noticed people started leaving little gifts and paper petitions written with three crossmarks at the foot of the statue. The solution was making itself clear: move the shrine inside the Healing Center and make it official. So, that is exactly what was done.
Now, the first thing you see when walking into the Healing Center is the shrine of Marie Laveau. The community responded positively to the move and the shrine was installed with a mosaic tile created via contributions from the community during a blessing ceremony at the Sacred Music festival in March 2015. Opposite Marie Laveau is Santa Muerte for those who wish to honor the Lady of the Dead.
In 1995, Mambo Sallie Anne was initiated as a Mambo in Port-Au-Prince, Haiti by Oungans Edgar Jean-Louis and Silva Joseph. She owns the Island of Salvation Botanica. Since 1997, she has been performing the ritual headwashing in honor of Marie Laveau every year in conjunction with the traditional St. John’s Eve feast. The ceremony is performed free of charge as a service and offering to the community.
*Photo credit: The International Shrine of Marie Laveau. Courtesy of Sallie Ann Glassman.
As it turns out, New Orleans artist Ricardo Pustanio, world-renowned for his spectacular design and sculpturing of paper maché floats during the annual Mid-City Mardi Gras parade, donated a large statue of Marie Laveau to Mambo Sallie Anne Glassman of La Source Ancienne Ounfo. They have known each other for twenty-five years, and one year he attended one of Mambo Sallie Anne’s annual head washing ceremonies at Bayou St. John on St. John’s Eve. He felt the celebration needed a focal point; hence, the donation of the statue of Marie Laveau. After the ceremony was over, she brought the statue back to the Island Salvation Botanica and set it outside the back door as it was too large to bring indoors. Soon, she noticed people started leaving little gifts and paper petitions written with three crossmarks at the foot of the statue. The solution was making itself clear: move the shrine inside the Healing Center and make it official. So, that is exactly what was done.
Now, the first thing you see when walking into the Healing Center is the shrine of Marie Laveau. The community responded positively to the move and the shrine was installed with a mosaic tile created via contributions from the community during a blessing ceremony at the Sacred Music festival in March 2015. Opposite Marie Laveau is Santa Muerte for those who wish to honor the Lady of the Dead.
In 1995, Mambo Sallie Anne was initiated as a Mambo in Port-Au-Prince, Haiti by Oungans Edgar Jean-Louis and Silva Joseph. She owns the Island of Salvation Botanica. Since 1997, she has been performing the ritual headwashing in honor of Marie Laveau every year in conjunction with the traditional St. John’s Eve feast. The ceremony is performed free of charge as a service and offering to the community.
*Photo credit: The International Shrine of Marie Laveau. Courtesy of Sallie Ann Glassman.
My Contribution to the Shrine
When Mambo Sallie Ann told me about the mosaic she was putting together for the shrine, she invited me to send something to her that could be incorporated into the design. I have done mosaics at various times over the years and was excited and honored to contribute a tile which is on the shrine to this day. It is a mosaic of her veve with Damballah and Aida Wedo on either side.
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APA 6th
Alvarado, D. (2019). The International Shrine of Marie Laveau. Retrieved from https://www.marie-laveaux.com/international-shrine.html.
Alvarado, D. (2019). The International Shrine of Marie Laveau. Retrieved from https://www.marie-laveaux.com/international-shrine.html.
Chicago 16th
Alvarado, Denise. “The International Shrine of Marie Laveau.” MARIE LAVEAUX, 2019. https://www.marie-laveaux.com/international-shrine.html.
Alvarado, Denise. “The International Shrine of Marie Laveau.” MARIE LAVEAUX, 2019. https://www.marie-laveaux.com/international-shrine.html.
MLA 8th
Alvarado, Denise. “The International Shrine of Marie Laveau.” 2019. MARIE LAVEAUX, https://www.marie-laveaux.com/international-shrine.html
Alvarado, Denise. “The International Shrine of Marie Laveau.” 2019. MARIE LAVEAUX, https://www.marie-laveaux.com/international-shrine.html
The Magic of Marie Laveau
The Magic of Marie Laveau is a monumental piece of work. It is unique, as is the author Denise Alvarado, who as an academic and practitioner, marries both rivers into a wonderful book of impressive research, historical legacy, and hands-on magical work - something that is unprecedented in regard to Marie Laveau.
~ Witchdoctor Utu, author of Conjuring Harriet "Mama Moses" Tubman and the Spirits of the Underground Railroad |