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
King John and the Bishop tale of a knight compelled to answer difficult questions before a king: in the English version of the "Gesta", the number of questions is seven. The "Speculum Morale" (14th century) a later addition to Vincent of Beauvais's works records a story of a king who tried to relieve a wealthy wise man of some of his riches by stumping him with questions, only to be foiled. Another parallel he noted was Till Eulenspiegel, who was summoned to university to answer such questions as "how much water is there in the sea?" By a more recent scholar, the ballad has been