Owing in part to Spanish and French colonialism and missionary work, Christians are primarily served by the Latin Church's Roman Catholic Diocese of Lafayette in Louisiana. The Roman Catholic Diocese of Lafayette in Louisiana was founded in 1918 and its see is the Cathedral of Saint John the Evangelist. Baptists were the second largest individual Christian denomination (17.8%). The most prominent Evangelical Baptist denomination in the Lafayette area as of 2021 is the Southern Baptist Convention. The National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc. and National Baptist Convention of America were the largest historically Black or African American Baptist denominations. Independent Baptist churches also have a significant presence in the metropolitan area.