 Visitation Academy was established in Kaskaskia, Illinois, in 1833 by a group of sisters from the Order of the Visitation of Holy Mary.The group originated from the Georgetown Visitation Monastery in Washington, DC, and were invited by Bishop Joseph Rosati of St. Louis to start a school in the region.The school moved to St. Louis in 1844, in part due to flooding in Kaskaskia.