Aurora Highlights

“The City of Lights”, Aurora IL, was built by the river and railroads with a frontier fortitude and faith that continues in it’s lively places of worship. Your guide will highlight three beautiful, and richly different, churches in this historic city.

Included will be the little limestone “Big Woods church” that Germans established on what became Church Road. We will also visit St Michael, the Romanian American place of worship and kinship that crests the colloquially named "Pigeon Hill" above the famed Fox River. It is a Byzantine Romanesque structure containing icons and ancient ritual built and maintained by immigrants with Transylvanian origins. St Mary's, who's history straddles the famed Fox River, will not be overlooked with its’ meditative Zettler windows and proximity to Aurora’s downtown restaurants and entertainment.

Meet your guide at Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary church: 1820 Church Rd, Aurora, IL. He will stay with you throughout the tour to provide informative context, and thematic continuity.

Because sacred spaces are not market places, all are welcome to come without cost. Please sign up on our wait list so we might work to accomodate you. Our growing collaboration with organizations and volunteers in several states, ongoing research, preparation and promotion requires funding, so thank you for taking that into consideration!

Participants must register in advance. Transportation is not included with this tour. Free parking.

Would you like to take this tour, or a similar one, on another date? We tour other churches in the Aurora area.

Just call! 312-869-2286. Minimum group size 5; maximum size varies.