The Murals of Maxo Vanka

Fascinating! Please take the time to visit this church and see these amazing murals!!!

The most unique church I’ve ever been in. Hard to find especially if you’re coming across the 40^th st bridge or from the North Side. The murals tell the story of early 20^th century immigrants to Pittsburgh.
Tour guide extremely knowledgeable and personable. The church is still open and celebrates mass twice a week. It would be hard to walk away and not appreciate what that generation left behind in their homeland and sacrificed when they came here to build this treasure of a church.

These murals are beautiful, important, and necessary to see for anyone in the Pittsburgh area. The tour is a must for any fan of history or art.
To help with the restoration effort, donations are encouraged, and a small assortment of souvenirs (like magnets) are available to purchase.
Go see them!

The Maxo Vanka Murals are a hidden gem, permanently on exhibit in this little church, close to the river in Millvale.
Maksimilijan Vanka was a celebrated Croatian painter who emigrated to Pennsylvania during the turmoil of the 1930s. He was invited to paint the walls of the St. Nicholas Croatian church and given artistic license to not be shy about his politics. So instead of the typical Catholic iconography, you see very progressive images of the Croatian experience, complete with coal mining and depictions of World War I. These murals are flat out awesome.
You certainly could go to the church for regular mass, but you’ll get a better look at the murals if the docent can point spotlights into the corners of the church. It’s my understanding that Serbs are welcome too, but fascists should stay at home.
Docent-​led tours on Saturdays: 11:00am, 12:00noon and 1:00pm (as of this writing, but check the website). Free admission (but bring a donation, for cryin out loud). If you time things right, you can get some baked goodies from a little blue-​haired Croatian woman in the church basement.