The Cathedral, modeled after St. Martin's on the Hill in Rome, was built in 1914 on West End Avenue. At the time Bishop Thomas Byrne bought the property, people questioned his decision to purchase land "so far out in the country."

Resembling a typical Roman basilica, the Cathedral features a 100-foot tower copied from another Roman church, St. Damase. Decorated in 13th century Renaissance style, the Cathedral also features a coffered ceiling, made of an ornamental plaster called rigalico, believed to be the first of its kind in the U.S. The altars are made of Carrera marble, imported from Italy. The baptistery is a 1/8 size replica of the baptisimal font in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome, designed by Michelangelo.

Sources:

Mayme Hart Johnson, A Treasury of Tennessee Churches (Brentwood: J M Productions, Inc., 1986), p. 89.

The Cathedral of the Incarnation website, www.nashvillecathedral.com, 2002.