The sisters of Saint Cecilia founded a boarding school in Nashville in 1860. The school remained on site until 1957 when it was then moved to its present location on the Dominican Campus on Harding Road.

The earliest known photograph (1860) of the Sisters of Saint Cecilia.

The original wooden buildings of Saint Cecilia  Academy are in the background.
 

 

September of 1861 found the school filled to overflowing. Work began on the new building, which included steam heating, lighting by gas, and hot and cold water.

 

Saint Cecilia Academy in 1862

The Sodality Room, located in the 1860 building, was the meeting place for young girls committed to prayer and service.

This room is now used by the portress, who answers the phone for  the congregation.
 

Music was studied as both a science and an art at Saint Cecilia Academy.

 

This music room was located on the second floor of the 1862 building, which is now part of the current novitiate.
 

 

 

A portion of the 1924 student body is photographed in front of the motherhouse with the 1888 and the 1904 additions.

Most borders slept in dormitories located in the 1860 building.

Private rooms for borders were located in the 1904 building.

These rooms were later converted to cells (sleeping quarters) for the sisters.

 

The sisters conducted study hall every night for the young women.

Today, the sisters use a similar area for study.
 

 

The dining hall for the borders was located in the 1904 building.

Today, this room is used for retreats for young women in the winter and as a refectory (dining area) for the sisters in the summer.
 

 

 

The chapel, built in 1888, is the same chapel the sisters use today.

The Saint Cecilia Motherhouse in the Jubilee Year

The Saint Cecilia
Motherhouse
in August 2005