Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United States New York State New York City Buffalo Calasanctius Mural
AO Edited

Calasanctius Mural

A Byzantine-style concrete artwork pays tribute to a 17th-century saint.

Buffalo, New York

Added By
Edward Denny
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
The flatness and long torsos are Byzantine-inspired.   Edward Denny / Atlas Obscura User
The mural forms part of a wall at Buffalo State.   Edward Denny / Atlas Obscura User
Calasanctius stands high before passers-by.   Edward Denny / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

In 1617, Josef Calasanz founded the independent Piarist Order of the Catholic Church, which was dedicated to education. Three hundred and fifty years later, the Piarist priests living in the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Graycliff house in Derby, New York, commissioned a mural by artist Józef Sławiński (1905-1983) to honor their sainted founder. Unfortunately, financial pressures forced the priests to sell Graycliff in 1999. When the house was acquired for preservation, the mural was slated for demolition since it was not part of Wright’s original design.

To create the mural, Sławiński used four layers of colored concrete weighing 18 tons to create his 12-foot by 18-foot sgraffito tribute to St. Calasanz. The mural’s preservation posed enormous challenges, literally and figuratively, but by 2003 the Polish Arts Club of Buffalo, headed by Peter Gessner, raised enough money to move the mural to its current location on the Buffalo State campus.

A Polish émigré who arrived in the U.S. in 1964, Sławiński was a professor of art at Buffalo State College and created works for numerous churches in the Western New York area. For the Calasanctius mural, he used a Byzantine style to express both a metaphorical and supernatural tribute to the founder of the oldest order of clerics devoted to education. St. Calasanz dedicated his life to establishing free schools for the poor, which taught both ecclesiastical and secular subjects.

In 1951, the Piarists (officially called the Order of Poor Clerics Regular of the Mother of God of the Pious Schools) bought Graycliff from the Martin family who used the lakeside property as a summer home until a reversal of fortune forced them to sell. The Piarist fathers used the home as a headquarters and school and added a chapel and dormitory in addition to the Sławiński mural. When Frank Lloyd Wright once visited unexpectedly to show off his architectural masterpiece to some students, he was horrified by the additions and modifications.  He offered to return with new designs for the chapel and dorm, but died before he could do so.

Ironically, while the mural survives as a result of herculean efforts and robust fundraising, the Piarist school and educational vision of St. Calasanz no longer exist in Buffalo. 

Related Tags

Concrete Frank Lloyd Wright Religion Murals

Know Before You Go

The mural is prominently displayed outside the E.H. Butler Library on the Buffalo State campus.

Community Contributors

Added By

Edward Denny

Published

August 9, 2022

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Calasanctius Mural
1300 Elmwood Ave
Buffalo, New York, 14222
United States
42.933753, -78.880534
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Charles Burchfield's 'Turtle-Back Rock'

Buffalo, New York

miles away

Richardson Olmsted Complex

Buffalo, New York

miles away

William McKinley Assassination Plaque

Buffalo, New York

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Buffalo

Buffalo

New York

Places 25
Stories 6

Nearby Places

Charles Burchfield's 'Turtle-Back Rock'

Buffalo, New York

miles away

Richardson Olmsted Complex

Buffalo, New York

miles away

William McKinley Assassination Plaque

Buffalo, New York

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Buffalo

Buffalo

New York

Places 25
Stories 6

Related Places

  • Murals inside the Church of St. Stephen in Nessebar

    Nessebar, Bulgaria

    Church of St. Stephen

    Step inside this medieval Orthodox gem and travel back to the 16th century.

  • Mansfield Traquair Centre

    Edinburgh, Scotland

    Mansfield Traquair Centre

    Edinburgh’s version of the Sistine Chapel is this former church, with an interior covered in paintings done by one woman over the course of nearly a decade.

  • Cappella Suardi

    Trescore Balneario, Italy

    Cappella Suardi

    Jesus turns into vines inside this chapel.

  • Inside the church

    Atotonilco, Mexico

    Santuario de Atotonilco

    The walls and ceilings of the "Mexican Sistine Chapel" are almost completely covered with mural, sculpture, inscriptions and oil paintings.

  • Emperador Caltzontzin Theater

    Pátzcuaro, Mexico

    Emperador Caltzontzin Theater

    This modern theatre is housed inside a convent constructed more than 300 years ago.

  • Virgin Wall at Penitente Canyon.

    Del Norte, Colorado

    Madonna of Penitente Canyon

    A mural of the Virgin of Guadalupe painted on the rock wall by canyon's religious namesake.

  • The murals on the open chapel.

    Actopan, Mexico

    Open Chapel Murals of Actopan

    These nearly 500-year-old scenes are largely faded by the ravages of time, yet still maintain their power to horrify.

  • An unexpected sight in suburban Philadelphia.

    Elkins Park, Pennsylvania

    Beth Sholom Congregation

    Frank Lloyd Wright built this suburban synagogue late in life, but it stands among his most iconic masterpieces.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.