St. Patrick's Catholic Church and Rectory - Roman Catholic Churches on Waymarking.com

The church architectural design is known as Second Empire Style. It remains one of the few buildings in the Nashville area reflecting this style. The original Vanderbilt University gym (now the Fine Arts Building located at 23rd Street and West End) is the only other
surviving building of this style. As would have been necessary for the times, the church was lit by gaslight and heated by coal stoves. The floor of the church was built with a slight downward slope to allow better viewing of the altar – a design feature found in
only two other churches in Tennessee of this era incorporated this feature.

One unique aspect of the parish is its connection to the “Irish Travelers.” This is a group of Irish immigrants of the mid-1800’s who have not assimilated into the American population as other ethnic groups have done over the years. Instead, this group remains
clannish who live an itinerant lifestyle. Over the years, various families comprising the Irish Travelers would appear in the Nashville area to hold a common funeral for those who had died since the last gathering. Weddings and baptisms were performed as the gathering was equated to a family reunion. Times have changed and the Irish Travelers no longer roam the countryside by wagon but they will return at times to St. Patrick and renew their connection to the parish.

Type of Church: Church Status of Building: Actively in use for worship Date of organization: 07/13/1890 Date of building construction: 07/13/1890 Dominant Architectural Style: Second Empire Associated Shrines, Art, etc.: Infant of Prague statue, Our Lady of Perpetual Help Archdiocese: Louisville Diocese: Nashville Address/Location: 1219 Second Avenue South Nashville, TN United States 37210 Relvant Web Site: [Web Link]

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Date Logged Log User Rating   01/26/2013 BruceS visited it