The first church built for this parish was built in 1850 after trying to establish a parish for almost 30 years. A school followed. A fire in the late 1850's resulted in the loss of the church and school. Church members were reluctant to pay for a new church until the diocese stepped in and built a new church and the parishoners were obligated to repay the diocese.

A new church was needed because of damage caused by storms and the building of the adjacent locks to Plaquemine Bayou.

The impressive church was built in 1920 it is considered the purest example of Italian Romanesque architecture in the South.

For more information about St John's see http://stjohnchurchplaq.org/