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The murals, originally painted in 1937 and 1941, depict biblical scenes and biting commentary on war, labor and inequality. In one riveting mural, the tenacious-eyed Moses clutches the Ten Commandments while chaos reigns behind him. This and other murals take up a blend of sorrow, strength and faith — sometimes in dual images, such as a Madonna brandishing a rifle and angels confronting injustice wearing gas masks.
Restorative Work and Lasting Influence
Original murals suffered from decades of smoke, water damage and pollution, which dulled their beauty. An extensive conservation project has been undertaken by the Society to Preserve the Millvale Murals of Maxo Vanka since 2009. The latest phase was finished in late May, in time for the church’s 125th anniversary celebration on June 1.
The project entailed removing corrosive salts and dirt, repairing damaged plaster and repainting lost sections in reversible materials. The bright pink of Moses’ face, the brilliant hand of God, and angels’ singular pink and sea-foam green are now clearly distinguishable. Thirty-three workers and over four months of work on scaffolding more than 32 feet tall were required to get to the artwork. Some of the challenges were sun damage and fluctuating temperatures on the wall’s surface.
No one had touched the artwork since the air base had shut, more than 70 years earlier — a simple point that Naomi Ruiz, a wall painting specialist, found profound. “You see the artist’s hand proper and struggle,” she said.
The Vision and Legacy of the Artist
Vanka was born in 1889 in Croatia to a mixed heritage of nobility and peasantry. He was raised by Dora Jugova and she was the inspiration for his many representations of strong, religious women. He studied in Belgium and served with the Red Cross in World War I before coming to the U.S. in the 1930s; he married Margaret Stetten.
When he was asked to paint the bare interior of St. Nicholas Church, Vanka’s powerful imagery mixed Catholic traditions with commentary on capitalism, war and immigrant life. The originality of his artistic voice has earned the church the nickname “The Sistine Chapel of Pittsburgh.” He would continue painting till his tragic drowning in 1963 off the coast of Mexico.
Conservation efforts started in 1991, gaining pace by 2009. Recent work has been supported by a large grant — $471,670 — from the Save America’s Treasures program in 2022. The church has also replaced its roof and climate systems in order to more effectively sustain the murals.
Connecting Past and Present
More than preserving murals, the society involves local youth through educational programs, encouraging them to relate their own lives to the stories conveyed in the murals. Such a pair of murals is a humble family meal juxtaposed with a rich man sneering at a beggar causing thoughtful debate among 6th graders.
Now the murals are integral to the parish’s identity. The church continues to perform monthly Croatian-language Masses and celebrate its immigrant roots. Rev. Nicholas Vaskov said he views the temporary parachute of scaffolding as worth the trouble, if it ultimately reveals “something marvelous.”
As conservators take stock of their progress, they point to that dramatic change: a rejuvenation of bright colors, legibility, and again what the artist had in mind. “Wow, it all looks so solid,” said Ruiz. “All the colors just pop.”
