Our School

St. Francis Xavier Academy

~The convent is where the Sisters of Mercy lived and to the far left was the auditorium and upstairs the high school. Our school is now called the Southern Cultural Heritage Center. The Sisters of Mercy operated the convent from 1860 till 1991. The City of Vicksburg purchased the block of buildings in 1994 with the mission of developing a multipurpose cultural center. Funding was gradually withdrawn until the center became a stand-along, foundation-led operation in 2000. Its buildings and programs operate on corporate and private sponsorships, memberships and local, state and federal grants. The center is bounded by Cherry, Clay, Crawford and Adams Streets. (Note: A scene from the movie "Old Brother Where Art Thou," was filmed in our Auditorium)