Houses Of Worship Tour

Western New York is rich in art, but not all of it is found in museums or galleries. For generations, believers and non-believers alike have been inspired by the art enshrined in Buffalo’s houses of worship. Radiant stained-glass, paintings which have no equal, magnificent sculpture and ornamentation, handmade bricks, terra cotta and tile work – and it’s all there for you to enjoy. Four Buffalo churches invite you to be amazed by the faith of our immigrant ancestors and awestruck by the art they created.

• On the National Register of Historic Places, Blessed Trinity R. C. Church is recognized as the purest replication of Lombard Romanesque architecture in the United States. The church’s exterior features irregular “Harvard” brick walls laid using a medieval technique and terra-cotta ornamentation.
  The interior is noted for its extensive use of ceramics, including artisan floor tiles, pillars, altar baldachino and more than 2,000 decorative symbols.
• The Buffalo Religious Art Center, a unique example of adaptive reuse. A superb Romanesque Basilica Style church becomes a museum dedicated to the display of religious art.
• Corpus Christi is a landmark, Romanesque-styled church saved from closing in 2004 and currently undergoing a multi-million dollar historic restoration. The church is especially noted for its exquisite stained-glass windows and iconic mural above the church altar, considered to be one of the most significant examples of ecclesiastical artwork in the United States.
• First Presbyterian Church is the oldest faith community in Buffalo, established in 1812. The church’s architecturally significant building on Symphony Circle features Tiffany-designed stained glass windows, two impressive pipe organs, and a 168-foot tall tower visible throughout the west side of the city.