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Cane River Journal

Nicolas Augustin Metoyer

The son of Frenchman, Claude Thomas Pierre Metoyer and African slave, Marie Therese Coincoin, Nicolas Augustin Metoyer was a French Creole and a leading personality of the community of free people of color known as Isle Brevelle. One of his most well-known and lasting contributions to the Cane River region was the building of St. Augustine Catholic Church, the first Roman Catholic Church built by and for people of color in the United States. Originally started as a mission church, St. Augustine would grow to be the focal point of creole culture and serve as the pillar on which the Cane River creole community still stands today.