Editing St. Martinville, Louisiana (section)

==Culture and arts==
[[Image:Evangeline - Saint Martinville.jpg|thumb|A statue of [[Evangeline]] - a heroine of the [[Great Upheaval|dérangement]] and of [[Henry Wadsworth Longfellow]]'s famous poem]]
St. Martinville is widely considered an important site in the development of [[Cajun]] culture, and it is in the heart of [[Cajun Country]]. A multicultural community in St. Martinville, with Acadians and Cajuns, [[Louisiana Creole people|Creoles]] (French coming via the French West Islands - Guadeloupe, Martinique and Santo Domingo), French, Spaniards and [[African diaspora|Africans]]. Once [[New Orleans]] was founded and began to have [[epidemics]], some New Orleanians escaped the city and came to St. Martinville. Its nickname, ''Petit Paris'' ("Little Paris"), dates from the era when St. Martinville was known as a cultural mecca with good hotels and a French theater, the Duchamp Opera House (founded in 1830), which featured the best operas and witty comedies.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-03-05 |title=The Original Cajun Country |url=https://www.lafayettetravel.com/blog/stories/post/the-original-cajun-country/ |access-date=2025-02-28 |website=www.lafayettetravel.com |language=en-us}}</ref>

The third oldest town in Louisiana, St. Martinville has many buildings and homes with historic architecture. The historic [[St. Martin of Tours Catholic Church (St. Martinville, Louisiana)|St. Martin of Tours Catholic Church]] and La Maison Duchamp on Main Street are part of the legacy of the Acadian people. The church was dedicated to [[Martin of Tours]] in France, where a St Martin de Tours church can be found. St. Martinville is the site of the "Evangeline Oak", featured in [[Henry Wadsworth Longfellow]]'s poem about the Acadian expulsion.

The city houses an African American Museum and is a posted destination on the [[Louisiana African American Heritage Trail]], which was established in 2008.<ref>[http://blog.nola.com/tpmoney/2008/02/african_american_heritage_trai.html Kimberly Quillen, "African American Heritage Trail unveiled in New Orleans this morning"], ''Times Picayune'', February 27, 2008, accessed January 17, 2015</ref><ref>[http://www.astorylikenoother.com/ "A Story Like No Other: African American Heritage Trail"], website</ref>

St. Martinville is the setting of the [[2013 in film|2013 film]], ''Christmas on the Bayou'', starring [[Hilarie Burton]] as Katherine, a divorced mother and business executive, with [[Tyler Hilton]] as Caleb, Katherine's former childhood companion. In the story line, Katherine rekindles romance and discovers where she truly belongs after she comes to St. Martinville to spend [[Christmas]] with her mother Lilly ([[Markie Post]]), and son Zack (Brody Rose). [[Randy Travis]] and [[Ed Asner]] are cast, respectively, as Mr. Greenhall and Papa Noel (the bayou [[Santa Claus]]).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2993674/|title=''Christmas on the Bayou|publisher=Internet Movie Data Base|access-date=November 18, 2018}}</ref>