The Cathédrale Saint-Louis is the late-baroque cathedral of La Rochelle, finished in 1784 to a sober classical design by Jacques Gabriel and his son Ange-Jacques — the same Gabriel who designed Place de la Bourse in Bordeaux and the Petit Trianon at Versailles. The pale limestone facade, the high vaulted interior, and the long nave are deliberately austere; this is a town that has always been more comfortable with Protestant restraint than Catholic exuberance.
The chapel of the navy, off the south aisle, contains some striking ex-voto paintings of 18th-century ships in storms — a reminder that this was the cathedral of a working seaport. Open most days; quiet inside. Place de Verdun in front is the main public square of the old town.