New York

Visit Corpus Christi Church as part of Sacred Sites Weekend on Saturday or Sunday

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Corpus Christi Church, 199 Clark Street, located one block East of the Broadway Market, registered as a Historic Landmark and a Sacred Site is participating in New York State’s Landmark Sacred Sites Open House on Saturday, May 18th, from 10 am to 3 pm, and Sunday, May 19th from Noon to 3pm. Featured in our tours, will be our Victorian Romanesque architecture, Windows by the Franz Mayer Works of Munich, Germany, and the dominating rendering of Raphael Santi’s famous Disputa. You can ask questions about every aspect of the Church Building. Also available those days only; is a special “sneak peek” at our newly restored, paintings by Casimir Mazor in our Social and Athletic Hall. A volunteer will be there to talk about and explain the paintings. The Social and Athletic Hall, found right behind our Iconic Church at 165 Sears Street, has been totally repainted, and refreshed. Refreshments and homemade cookies will be available for purchase. Bowling will be offered for a nominal fee. Stop in and enjoy our hospitality.

Sacred Sites Open House Weekend was started by the New York Landmarks Conservancy.  This year marks the 9th annual event celebrating of sacred sites in the State of New York.

Locally, nine other sites will be open this weekend to visit as well. It’s a great way to see some sites all around Buffalo and the region.

From the Buffalo News:

Ten places of worship in Erie, Niagara and Orleans counties will open for the New York Landmarks Conservancy’s ninth annual Sacred Sites Open House Saturday, May 18, and Sunday, May 19.

Inspiring the weekend’s theme, “Medieval to Modern – Celebrating New York’s Religious Art and Architecture,” is Blessed Trinity Church, 317 Leroy Ave. Docents will guide visitors from noon to 3 p.m. Sunday and provide commentary on the church’s Lombard-Romanesque architecture, terra cotta ornamentation and more than 2,000 Christian symbols.

Other Buffalo sites include St. John’s-Grace Episcopal Church, 51 Colonial Circle, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, noon to 4 p.m. Sunday; Temple Beth Zion, 805 Delaware Ave., 1:45 to 3 p.m. Saturday; Corpus Christi Church, 199 Clark St., 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, noon to 3 p.m. Sunday; and First Presbyterian Church, 1 Symphony Circle, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday.

Open will be Kenmore United Methodist Church, 32 Landers Road, Kenmore, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday.

Open in Niagara Falls will be First Baptist Church, 554 Main St., 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, noon to 3 p.m. Sunday; and Holy Trinity Church, 1419 Falls St., noon to 3 p.m. Sunday.

Corpus Christi Selected to Particpate in Sacred Sites Open House

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On May 21-22, Corpus Christi R.C. Catholic will participate in The New York Landmarks Conservancy’s Sacred Sites Open House Weekend. The church joins dozens of religious institutions throughout New York State, and especially Blessed Trinity R.C. Church, the Buffalo Religious Arts Center and the Hellenic Orthodox Church of the Annunciation in Buffalo, in welcoming the public to this special event.

Corpus Christi will host tours from noon – 2:00p.m. on Saturday May 21 and from 1:00p.m. – 3:00p.m. on Sunday, May 22 as a way to share this historic treasure with the entire Western New York community. The tours are free and all are cordially invited. This event is part of a year-long celebration of the 25th anniversary of the New York Landmarks Conservancy’s Sacred Sites program.

Corpus Christi Church, designed by noted Buffalo architects Schmill and Gould, was dedicated on June 13, 1909. The magnificent interior features some of the finest ecclesiastical art in Buffalo, including exquisite stained glass windows by Franz Mayer Works of Munich, Germany and the iconic Disputa mural above the altar, which is a rendering of a Vatican masterpiece by celebrated, Renaissance painter Raphael Santi. The church complex is listed on the State and National Registers of Historic Places. The Disputa is currently undergoing a high profile restoration by acclaimed art conservator Roman Kujawa to return the painting to its original beauty.

Since 1986 The New York Landmarks Conservancy’s Sacred Sites program has supported more than 660 religious institutions throughout the state which have received over $6.7 million in matching grants. Sacred Sites is the country’s oldest and largest statewide grant program to help landmark religious properties. Corpus Christi received a matching grant from the Sacred Sites program in 2007, and again this year for restoration of the church’s north tower.

Approximately five years ago, water infiltration and freeze/thaw effects caused a portion of the sandstone cornice of the north tower to fracture and collapse. A wind storm in December of 2008 further damaged sections of the cupola. While intermediate steps have been taken to stabilize the tower for the short term, a more comprehensive restoration is required to reverse significant deterioration and potentially more costly remediation to the exterior envelope of the church.

The New York Landmarks Conservancy’s grant for the north tower work makes it possible to continue the momentum of the church’s restoration at a time when many of Western New York’s historic buildings are undergoing major improvements in anticipation of the National Trust Conference to be held in Buffalo this October.

For additional information on the Sacred Sites Open House Weekend, contact Colleen Heemeyer, Manager of Grants and Technical Services at the New York Landmarks Conservancy at 212-995-5260 or visit http://www.nylandmarks.org/programs_services/grants/sacred_sites_program.