SkyWatch Friday: Dominican Convent

The Dominican Sisters of the Congregation of St. Cecilia came to Nashville in 1860. Their convent (above) is in the same location, and parts of the convent are original to 1862 when the first buildings were complete. The convent's location is just north of downtown Nashville in an area now called "Metro Center," and it is so close to downtown that, during the Civil War, the sisters and their students could actually see the fighting near the state capitol.

A couple of interesting facts:

* The congregation is named for St. Cecilia, the patroness of music. St. Dominic founded the original Dominicans on the feast of St. Cecilia.

* The congregation of St. Cecilia is a teaching order. In addition to teaching at schools in Nashville, they staff a number of schools in 15 other states and in Rome.

* The sisters of the order still wear a traditional outfit: long, white dress and black veil.

* At a time when most religious orders are losing members, this congregation is growing. There are currently over 225 sisters in the order, and they get 10-15 new vocations annually.

* The average age of nuns in the US is 70 years of age. The median age of the nuns in the congregation of St. Cecilia is 35.

To read more about the Dominican Sisters or to take a "tour" of their motherhouse, click here.

SkyWatch Note: I took the photo I posted yesterday a few minutes after I took today's photo. I was standing in almost the same spot. However, I was facing west when I took yesterday's photo, and north when I took today's photo. Note the difference in the sky in both photos.

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