Karnak on the Cumberland

There are so many magnificent churches to see – architectural jewels abound! (They're like free art and history museums.) One of my favorites is right here in the U.S. and just 2-hrs away in Nashville. The Downtown Presbyterian Church (1849) is a favorite because it is in such a unique style for a church – Egyptian Revival, both exterior and interior! Apparently, only three churches were built in this style in the U.S. and the other two, located in Essex, Connecticut (1846) and Sag Harbor, New York (1844), are both white clapboard buildings that do not carry the style to the interior. The Downtown Presbyterian Church is, indeed, very unusual – and very beautiful! It was designed by Philadelphia architect William Strickland, who also designed the Tennessee State Capitol (1845).

The 1849 church was the third building of the First Presbyterian congregation on this site (the first two burned down). It originally had plain glass windows and the congregation ran out of money before the interior was completed. The painting scheme, which includes tromp l’oeil frescoes of Karnak, was not done until 1880-82. (Being that Nashville is on the Cumberland River, the church acquired the nickname “Karnak on the Cumberland.”)

Egyptian revival architecture uses ancient Egyptian motifs such as lotus columns, sphinxes, winged sun disks, pylons, cavetto cornices, and obelisks.

The 1917 addition to the church also incorporates winged sun disks in the cavetto cornices

The outdoor lamps on the addition have sphinxes on top

The rise of the Egyptian revival style in the 19th century is attributed to the public awareness of ancient Egyptian monuments generated by Napoleon’s scientific expeditions in Egypt and the later publication in the U.S. of the expedition’s findings. (The discovery of Tutankhamen’s tomb in 1922 began a later Egyptian revival combined with Art Deco.) The first Egyptian revival building in the U.S. was the Mikveh Israel Synagogue in Philadelphia, built in 1824 and also designed by William Strickland. It was demolished in 1902, leaving the three still-existing churches as the only ecclesiastical examples of the style in the U.S. The most well-known Egyptian revival structure in the U.S. is the Washington Monument (begun in 1848). The obelisk originally featured doors with cavetto cornices and winged sun disks which were later removed. I wish they would put them back!

The stained glass windows were added in 1887.

Beautiful seats in the balcony

View from the balcony. The curved walnut benches replaced the original box pews in 1882.

President Andrew Jackson was a member of the church, and the first church building (1814) was the site of his presentation with a ceremonial sword after the Battle of New Orleans. The second building (1832) was the site of Tennessee Governor (and later U.S. President) James K. Polk’s inauguration. The current building was used as a military hospital during the Civil War (by Federal troops), as a refuge from floods in 1927 and 1937, as a place to sleep for thousands of soldiers on leave during WWII, and it currently tends to the needs of the less fortunate in the downtown community.  In 1954, the First Presbyterian congregation sold the building to some of its members and moved to the suburbs. It then became known as the Downtown Presbyterian Church.  

Original gas lamp shades previously used on either side of the lectern platform, 

on display in the history room

You can take a self-guided tour of the church on weekdays by ringing the bell at the Fellowship Hall door. They will let you in and take you to a room with displays on the history of the church, and you can tour the church from there on your own.