Basilica Tour during StrOlean

FREE TOUR begins at 1pm in conjunction with StrOlean on Saturday, June 15, 2019. We are celebrating THIS MONTH the 100th Anniversary of the installation of our windows!!! The Basilica of St. Mary of the Angels offers free 45-minute tours of its splendid art, architecture and history. This is a unique opportunity for the community to see and hear what impressed the Vatican so much that Pope Francis designated this local church a Basilica.      

“Our remarkable history and art began in 1850 here on this very lot in Olean,” said Jennifer Kane, author of the Vatican basilica application in 2016 as well as the basilica’s brand new history book. She guides most tours along with Jim Bardenette who is an avid history buff of the basilica and whose family has been associated with the parish for generations.      

Our tours are designed to allow visitors the chance to not only learn about the parish community’s history but experience the beauty and scale of its famous Munich-style windows (as large as 20 feet tall) and hear about the development of the spectacular interior decoration that includes original art spanning back to the 19th century.    

 “So much of our history—which is really Olean history—is connected to the art in the basilica because everything you see was added precisely for specific historical events celebrated here,” said Kane noting that nothing of significance has been removed from the interior since the historic building's 1915 opening.      

“The Vatican’s recognition of the significance of our art and history are two important elements of being designated a basilica,” she said. “We are thrilled any time we can offer tours like this to give people in the region the chance to learn more about this beautiful house of worship and its important history so closely tied to the development of the City of Olean. It is a treasure not just in this region but, as the Vatican recognized, in our nation and in the world,” she noted.      Kane’s recently published 372-page fully-documented book, A Place Set Apart, covering the basilica’s history from 1850 to the present day, will be on sale before and after the tour for $22 with proceeds benefitting the parish.