These Walls Can Talk:

The Immigration Tour

Take a deeper dive into the history and stories of St. Nicholas Croatian Catholic Church’s congregation, why people immigrated to Pittsburgh, and how immigrants built their lives in America while maintaining cultural connections. Rich with detail, including oral histories and archival photos, this one-of-a-kind experience interprets a selection of Maxo Vanka’s murals in the context of world events and the cherished recollections of parishioners.

The Immigration Tour is 75 minutes, including time for questions and discussion. We recommend taking Meet Maxo Vanka: The Public Tour as a compliment to this experience.

Schedule

Last Saturday of the month, 12:30pm

Admission

Admission is $22 per person. Student discount available. Children under 5 are free.

Interested in a private tour? Experience a personalized experience tailored to your group. To request a private booking, please complete the form on our Private Tours page. Advance notice of 7 days is preferred.

Thanks for supporting the murals

Tour admission fees are essential to our efforts to ensure public access to the murals. All proceeds from public tours and sales of gift items support the ongoing conservation and education efforts of the Society to Preserve the Millvale Murals of Maxo Vanka.

More to Tour

Visit the shop

Following your tour, visitors are welcome to purchase postcards, stickers, t-shirts, and other gift items to share with family and friends. You can also shop online.

Private Tours

Private tours are available by request with advanced notice and based on availability. Please visit our Private Tours page to submit a request.

Questions? Visit FAQs & Directions >

The Murals Experience Reviews

					  A small group of us were led through Saint Nicholas Croatian Church to view the Maxo Vanka murals there. The docent was very knowledgeable about the church and the artist - some sad but great stories - Vanka's WWI experience and loss of homeland are both strongly in evidence in the murals. I would almost put these somewhere between fine art and folk art in terms of style and motifs. I would never have thought to visit here on my own, so was very glad to have the opportunity to see something very unique in terms of understanding Pittsburgh's ethnic heritage! I would not suggest bringning small children to see the murals since some of them depict war and other brutal scenes.				
haiykuhi
June 21, 2019 

					  On september the second we visited this interesting church. There were two guides who told us the history and the meaning of the beautiful murals. They added light so you can see the colors very well. They took the time to answer questions and when you wanted to make pictures they added again light. It is a wonderfull story about integration of Croatian people who came to the US to work in the steelmills and who contributed to this country. It is also a warning against war and exploitation of common people by big business. At the end of the tour ypu can give the donation you think it's worth. We had a great visit				
Dirk P
September 8, 2017 

					  Small Church Has a Big Story to Tell - Located in the outskirts of Pittsburgh you will find the St. Nicholas Croatian Catholic Church. From the outside the building is quite unassuming.   It's a small neighborhood church, smaller than then the parish church in the neighborhood I grew up in. 

Step inside however, and you will behold incredible murals painted by a man, I had never heard of until the visit here.  The murals are incredible in detail and in the stories they tell.  

This is a MUST visit when you are in the Pittsburgh area, and you don't have to spend a great deal of time here. 

There are Saturday tours. Call ahead and check on availability.  The tours last about an hour but you can stay as long as you like. 

This was a hidden gem and a remarkable experience that was completed unexpected.				
TheEdgeNYC
October 22, 2023 