Poor Clare Nuns

Very friendly ladies that support the community and make beautiful crafts.The hand-painted wood ornaments are what I visited for recently, but they also have rosaries, nativity scenes and other knick knacks.Enter the property on the Henry Clay side and walk up the stairs into the monastery's foyer, then continue straight ahead and ring the bell at the window on the leftish side of the foyer's end. They will let you into the giftshop for browsing/purchases.If you are looking for a New Orleans holiday present head here!

Sister Olivia's Ornaments are beautiful. The stationary makes a wonderful gift.

The painting of the front of the Monastery is done by the same Sister that does the ornaments and she is very good that is why I gave it 4 stars.

Sister Mary's pralines from the Poor Clare Nuns Monastery (on Magazine Street by Audubon Park) is one of the city's best kept secrets. I used to live by the walled-off brick monastery, and when curiosity got the best of me, I checked out their "gift shop." The first thing I noticed is that the place is not opened regular hours. You have to get lucky that the nuns are agreeable to visitors at that moment. The monastery itself is a remarkable structure. It is imposing, but you'd drive by it a million times before realizing that there is a whole community behind the tall walls. When the gate is open, you walk through an old courtyard and into a mansion, you have to push a big weird buzzer to get the nuns' attention, since they're all off doing their nun stuff. Then one of them comes out and checks you out from the other side of a big imposing door. If she thinks you're legit or something, then she will come out and unlock a door to the "gift shop." (When visiting, I try not to look too hot, lest I lead some wobbly nun astray from her true calling.) The gift shop is a quiet room filled with nunny knick-knacks. One thing very interesting that they have is Sister Mary's pralines. Sister Mary is the nun who makes them, and they come in little boxes that are perfect to gift, assuming you don't eat them first. The nuns really know a thing or two about hooking a heathen like me on their enticing wares. Sister Mary doesn't mess around with any preservatives or that shit you find in French Quarter tourist praline shops. Nope. Only the good stuff, the freshest ingredients. Got to eat them soon or they will dry out. When you finish, whether you like it or not, you will be back for more.

My friend and I walked from the Marigny all the way to the 6000 block of Magazine to visit their gift shop. I then walked many blocks in the rain to go back. Their beautiful hand-painted christmas ornaments of NOLA buildings are worth the visit. They also have many other sweet handmade items for sale.