In The Betrayed, most of the book is set in Nola proper, and one of the reasons I did that is that I wanted to include some iconic locations in the book. The first of those, introduced in the very first chapter, is a place I named Saint Christina’s Catholic Church in the book, but is actually based on Saint Patrick’s Church in Nola.

Why the change of name? Well, first, there’s nothing particularly unusual or sinister about Saint Patrick or his story, and I wanted the name of the church to be a kind of foreshadowing for those who knew the history. Second, I took a few liberties with the church (adding a garden and rectory, specifically), and I didn’t want to be called out for being inaccurate (that’s the non-fiction author in me rearing its ugly head).

So why Saint Christina? Well, I actually wanted to use Saint Pio, who is known for bilocating and reading people’s souls, but Pio is a bit too recent to be the namesake of a historic New Orleans church (he wasn’t canonized until the 90’s). Christina was my backup choice, but she’s kind of a doozy in her own right.

I mean, her first miracle was to come back to life, rise from her coffin, hover over the assembled, and tell them how bad they stunk of sin. From there, she fled to the wilderness to live in the trees and followed the condemned around and shared in their punishments (including hangings). She was a very strange and somewhat macabre saint, so I felt naming the church after her added some atmosphere to the setting.

As for the church itself, Saint Patrick’s is actually a beautiful gothic church in New Orleans, well worth visiting. You’ll find the frescoes are a bit different than described (artistic license and all), but the gravitas of the building is unchanged. Click below to check it out.