On Saturday, July 18th, we visited the Maxo Vanka murals in Millvale. We were given roughly an hour tour of the murals that currently reside in the St. Nicholas Croatian Church. The murals were painted by Maxo Vanka in 1937 and 1941. There were seemingly two separate stories told, one of ordinary Christian origin (key events within scripture) and others of Croatian origin (the cultural life or Croatians). But, there was heavy emphasis placed on mothers, said to have been inspired by the love and appreciation Maxo Vanka had for his own adoptive mother. At the front of the church was a portrait of Mother Mary and the Baby Jesus at the top, adorned in traditional Croatian clothing of the time. Along the sides are two sides of Croatian life – one on the coasts of Croatia and one in the early days of Croatians settling in the Pittsburgh area. I believe it was telling the story of travel. While the people of Croatia had settled in Pittsburgh, they still had their culture and their religion, the church is a testament to this!! Millvale has built this identity because the people have built their community. No matter the size of the town, the people are what truly make it a place to live. While Millvale may seem much smaller to its communities than it was years ago, it has continued to grow along with them.
