St. Mary's Church, the first permanent Catholic Church in Tennessee, was dedicated in 1847. The church was designed by architect Adolphus Heiman, though for years was mistakenly attributed to William Strickland, the architect of the nearby Tennessee State Capitol.

Bishop Richard Pius Miles, the first Bishop of Nashville, died in 1860 and is buried beneath the altar. During the Civil War, St. Mary's was used as a hospital, treating both Confederate and Union soldiers.

For many years, St. Mary's served as the headquarters of the Catholic Diocese and was the source of many other Catholic congregations in Nashville and in Tennessee.

Sources:

Mayme Hart Johnson, A Treasury of Tennessee Churches (Brentwood: J M Productions, Inc., 1986), p. 95.

Kay Beasley, "St. Mary's city's oldest standing church," The Nashville Banner, January 6, 1988.

James A. Hoobler, "William Strickland, Architect," Tennessee Historic Quarterly, Vol. XLV, No. 1, p. 3 -17.