St. Mary's Church

The church building at the corner of Fifth N. (Rep. John Lewis Way N.) and Charlotte avenues is St. Mary's, the oldest permanent Catholic church building in Tennessee. Built from 1844 to 1847, St. Mary's is the oldest church building remaining in downtown Nashville and served as the regional cathedral from 1847 to 1914. Its first pastor, Bishop Richard Pius Miles, is buried in a side chapel of the building. The building's interior and exterior were renovated in 1926. St. Mary's Church was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1970. The building still houses a Catholic congregation, St. Mary of the Seven Sorrows Church.

A German immigrant named Adolphus Heiman designed St. Mary's Church; for many years, the building was attributed to William Strickland, the designer of the Tennessee State Capitol. This is actually the second building built for the Catholic congregation in Nashville; the older was called Holy Rosary. The cornerstone of the Greek Revival style building was laid in April 1844; the cathedral was dedicated on June 6, 1847. The brick building was stuccoed with corner pilasters. Stone steps lead to two Ionic columns supporting a pediment above the approach to the main entrance; niches flank the doorway, below a plain pediment. The building measures 110 by 60 feet; there is a full basement. A triple archway divides the vestibule from the main portion of the church. Seating for about 900 is below a 32-foot-tall ceiling. The original organ cost about $2,000. Originally, there was an adjoining residence for the bishop to the south of the cathedral; the former building was used as a rectory by 1970. A later appraisal of the cathedral noted that the church was built of hard burned brick laid in limestone mortar, on a foundation of native limestone.

From its dedication in 1847 to 1914, St. Mary's served as the Catholic Cathedral of Nashville. In 1914 it was replaced as cathedral by the newly built Cathedral of the Incarnation on West End Ave.; St. Mary's Cathedral then became St. Mary's Church. The first pastor of St. Mary's was the first Bishop of Nashville, Bishop Richard Pius Miles. He was consecrated as a bishop in Bardstown, Kentucky and moved to Nashville in 1844. Bishop Miles purchased the lot for over $4,000 from Joseph K. Stevenson and helped to raise the construction funds of $47,000. Bishop Miles died in 1860 and was buried beneath the high altar in a cast iron coffin. The coffin was moved in 1972 to a side chapel in the church's northwest corner.

A belfry with an octagonal base was added in the early 1860s; the bell was purchased in 1863. During the Civil War, St. Mary's continued to conduct masses in the Union-occupied town. It wasn't until the December 1864 Battle of Nashville's aftermath that the church was converted into a military hospital. In the 1890s, interior finishes of the apse and ceiling were redone, and new stained-glass windows were installed; the bishop at that time was Joseph Rademacher. The golden jubilee was celebrated when the building turned 50 years of age in 1897.

The interior and exterior of St. Mary's was renovated in 1926 by the Nashville firm Asmus & Clark. Changes were made to the octagonal belfry and local limestone ("Nashville Travertine Stone") was added as a veneer onto the west (front) facade. The stuccoed brick front columns were replaced with stone, but the Ionic capitals were reused. An Italian marble altar was installed in October 1929 at a cost of $3,900. Near the semicircular recess containing the main altar are religious statues made in France. St. Mary's celebrated its 100th anniversary in 1947. In advance of the milestone, a new organ and marble side altars were installed; the basement chapel was remodeled into the Bishop Miles Chapel, with new pews and a Wurlitzer Electric Organ.

Bauch, Linda M. NRHP nomination of St. Mary's Church, Nashville, Tennessee. National Register. Washington, DC. National Park Service, 1970.

Patrick, James. Architecture in Tennessee, 1768 - 1897. Knoxville, TN. The University of Tennessee Press, 1981.

St. Mary of the Seven Sorrows Church. Home, St. Mary of the Seven Sorrows Church. October 1st, 2022. Accessed October 3rd, 2022. https://stmarysdowntown.org/.

Downtown Nashville Partnership. St. Mary's of the Seven Sorrows Catholic Church, Downtown Nashville Partnership. January 1st, 2022. Accessed October 3rd, 2022. https://nashvilledowntown.com/go/st-marys-catholic-church.

Senkevitch Jr., Anatole. Pledger, Roy C. Historical American Buildings Survey, St. Mary's Cathedral (now St. Mary's Church). HABS TN-13. Washington, DC. U.S. Department of the Interior, 1970.

Van West, Carroll. St. Mary's Catholic Church, Tennessee Encyclopedia. March 1st, 2018. Accessed October 6th, 2022. https://tennesseeencyclopedia.net/entries/st-marys-catholic-church/.