St. Adalbert Basilica Interior Tour

In 1886 a group of Polish immigrants applied to then-Bishop Rt. Rev. Stephen Ryan and received his approval to build a church on Stanislaus Street, becoming the first congregation to break away from the area’s only Polish church at the time, St. Stanislaus. Work began on the current brick Romanesque church building on March 12, 1890. At the time, St. Adalbert was the largest church in Western New York, and was dedicated on July 12, 1891.

The year 1907 marked a momentous occasion for St. Adalbert when it became the first Basilica in the United States. 

At St. Adalbert Basilica, guests will see a portrait of Our Lady of Czestochowa (the Black Madonna) featuring the rare and detailed needlework for which the Felician Order of Nuns is known in Poland, brought back to America by the first pastor, and shown at the 1891 Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo. You’ll also find multiple paintings by Joseph Mazur, as well as rare wood and paper mâché Stations of the Cross and stained-glass windows imported from Munich Germany. 

St. Adalbert Basilica is located at 212 Stanislaus Street, Buffalo NY 14212. This tour meets at the main doors on Stanislaus Street. The tour is handicapped accessible, with the front entrance accessible via a ramp (please note the ramp is a little steep). Street parking is available.  Guests may also park in the lot off of Rother Street and will need to walk around the building to the front of the Basilica. This tour is one hour in length. In the winter, the tour is fully indoors; in pleasant weather, the tour may include a short exterior visit to the outdoor grotto. 

This is a partnership tour – tours are led by docents from St. Adalbert Basilica. 

Check in is 11:45am