A 19th century church and convent complex in New Orleans has been given a new life as a hotel.

The church has been converted into a hotel in New Orleans. Image by Christian Harder & Courtesy of Hotel Peter & Paul

Hotel Peter & Paul has transformed four buildings — a Catholic church, rectory, schoolhouse and convent — into 71 guest rooms. Beyond the incredible rooms, the hotel features a rotating retail space, a unique meeting and events area inside the restored church, and a bar and restaurant inside the old rectory.

The new hotel is inside an old church. Image by Christian Harder & Courtesy of Hotel Peter & Paul

Inside the converted space, the colour palettes feature shades commonly used in iconic religious paintings and tapestries that date back to the 14th-18th centuries in Europe and Africa, according to the company behind the project, ASH NYC.

Inside the historic church building. Image by Christian Harder & Courtesy of Hotel Peter & Paul

For those with an interest in historic buildings, many original features of the church and other buildings were kept – like cypress wood moldings, stained glass windows, wainscoted corridors, marble fireplaces and more. The hotel also features antique chandeliers and a mural that shows a 19th century sitting room on the stage of the former school house.

The majority of the rooms are inside the schoolhouse, but the rectory – a red brick building that used to house the clergy – is now home to five of the hotel’s top rooms, complete with canopy beds and antique fireplaces. The convent, where Marianite nuns once lived, is home to seven rooms, some containing cast iron claw-foot tubs.

One of the baths in the schoolhouse guest room. Image by Christian Harder & Courtesy of Hotel Peter & Paul

The bar and restaurant is from the team behind the James Beard-award nominated New Orleans wine bar and restaurant, Bacchanal. The ground floor of the former rectory now houses the Elysian Bar, a public space that serves up wine, speciality cocktails and small plates made with local ingredients. The old chapel is now home to a café, which serves coffee and freshly squeezed juices.

Inside the schoolhouse guest room. Image by Christian Harder & Courtesy of Hotel Peter & Paul