The Tomb Where Visitors Left Three X's

In St. Louis Cemetery No. 1 stands the whitewashed Glapion family tomb, generally believed to hold Marie Laveau, the Voodoo practitioner, hairdresser and healer who was born in New Orleans in 1801 and died here in 1881. Some historians question whether she rests in this vault, and much of what is told about her grew up after her death. Soon after she was buried, sextons reported people coming almost daily to leave offerings and mark crosses with red brick and charcoal. In later decades visitors scratched triple X's into the plaster and made wishes, a custom that damaged the tomb and is now discouraged. After someone painted the tomb pink on Christmas Eve 2013, it was restored, and in 2015 the Archdiocese of New Orleans limited the cemetery to guided tours. Visitors now see it with a licensed guide, and are asked to leave the plaster unmarked.