Basilica of St. Louis, King of France Basilica of St. Louis, King of France The Basilica of Saint Louis, King of France (), formerly the Cathedral of Saint Louis, and colloquially the Old Cathedral, was the first cathedral west of the Mississippi River and until 1845 the only parish church in the city of St. Louis, Missouri. It is one of two Catholic basilicas in St. Louis, and it is named for King Louis IX of France, also the namesake for the city of St. Louis. The current structure (built 1831-1834) is located near the historic riverfront of St. Louis, surrounded by but not a part of
Lothair of France only heir of the Carolingian Empire. When the caliph of Córdoba, Al-Mansur, sacked Barcelona in 985, Lothair was ill and could offer no assistance to the Borrell II, Count of Barcelona who had sent envoys to Verdun. This contributed to the final split between the Hispanic March and the Frankish crown during the reign of his successors. At this point Lothair's power seemed markedly less than that of Hugh Capet. In a letter Gerbert of Aurillac wrote to the Archbishop Adalbero that "Lothair is king of France in name alone; Hugh is, however, not in name but in effect and