Religion has always played an important role in the lives of Nashvillians. Since the first settlers walked across the frozen Cumberland River on a cold December day in 1779, bringing with them their Bibles, hymns, spirituals and religious traditions, religion has become an increasingly prominent fixture in Nashville.With more than 800 houses of worship, numerous Bible schools, religious publishing houses and several denominational headquarters, Nashville continues to grow as a center of religious activity.

Nashville is known as the buckle of the Bible Belt and even has been called the Protestant Vatican. While the city is indeed dominated by Protestantism, particularly Southern Baptist and Church of Christ, Nashville embraces people of many faiths. More than 50 different faiths have houses of worship here, including African Methodist Episcopal, Buddhist, Hindu, Roman Catholic, Judaic (Orthodox, Conservative and Reform), Greek Orthodox and Islamic.