St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church - Nashville, Tennessee
Posted by: 
BruceS
N 36° 09.941 W 086° 46.911
16S E 519620 N 4002347
Historic Catholic Church in downtown Nashville, Tennessee.
Waymark Code: WMGJHQ
Location: Tennessee, United States
Date Posted: 03/12/2013
Views: 3
ST. MARY'S ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH, 330 5th Ave. N., is a gray brick structure of Greek Revival style, designed by William Strickland in 1844 and completed in 1847. The facade, faced with limestone blocks, has a half portico supported by two fluted Ionic columns. Surmounting the structure is an octagonal tower topped with a circular cupola. The cupola, like that of the Capitol, is designed in the manner of the Choragic monument of Lysicrates. The paneled walls of the interior are acoustically treated. The ceiling, of square panels and classical mouldings, is decorated with murals of the life of Christ. In a niche is the high altar of Botticino marble. The statues of the Virgin Mary and St. Joseph, and the holy water fonts are also marble. oil paintings of the sufferings of Christ hang between stained-glass windows.
The history of St. Mary's goes back ot the 1820's when Holy Rosary--the first Catholic Church in Tennessee--was erected in Nashville. When the congregation moved to St. Mary's, the Holy Rosary Church was converted into a hospital.
The tomb of Bishop Pius Miles, who was largely responsible for building St. Mary's, is beneath the high altar. Father Abram Ryan, the "Poet Priest of the South," was an assistant pastor from 1864 to 1865. - Tennessee: A Guide to the State, Nashville section , pg. 190.
The church today matches the description given in the Guide. The church is known as St. Mary of the Seven Sorrows as its official name. The church remains an active parish church with a 9:00 am Mass each Sunday. The church is the oldest church building remaining in Nashville. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1970.