You come seeking eternal life, but inside the St. Louis Cathedral, you're just as close to death!

For nearly 300 years, people have come to the St. Louis Cathedral in Louisiana...seeking eternal life. But when you take a seat -- you're sitting just as close to death!

“The faithful buried beneath the cathedral include children, they include priests, they include governors. Their souls are before the hand of God just as ours are when we come to church to pray,” Brandon Briscoe, the Cathedral Tour Guide said.

FOX6's sister station, WGNO in Louisiana reports in the center of the cathedral, between two pillars, it is estimated that there were over 100 people buried before 1850.

Their names are known, but not their locations.

“There was a big renovation in 1850. We lost track of who exactly is in each spot. We believe as faithful that we will all rise from the dead and get our resurrected bodies, so when that happens at the Second Coming, we’ll know who exactly is placed where,” Briscoe said.

Beneath the sanctuary and wings of the cathedral are crypts. The exact number is unknown, but those buried there are auxiliary bishops, bishops and archbishops.

WGNO got a look at one of the crypts, underneath the floor.

“It doesn’t get opened very often. It gets opened when we get asked sometimes by news people," Head Archivist Lee Leumas said.

It is possible prominent laypeople were buried under the cathedral years ago, but now, the remaining seven crypts are reserved for archbishops who will one day join those who were -- and still are, the foundation for the cathedral.

CLICK HERE for more on this story via WGNO.