The Maxo Vanka Murals of Millvale

Looking to the left inside St. Nicholas Catholic Church

I am a tourist in Western Pennsylvania for the next few days. Today's stop was the first Catholic Church in the Americas specifically for Croatians: St. Nicholas Catholic Church in Millvale, Pennsylvania. That would be reason enough to visit, but there's a more important reason: the famous murals of the artist Maxo Vanka.

St. Nicholas is a Catholic church located on a hill in the Pittsburgh suburb of Millvale. Inside is an impressive collection of murals painted in 1937 and 1941 by Croatian artist Maxo Vanka. Vanko's murals take up every inch of wallspace inside the church. This is a crucifixion scene to the left of the altar:

Another mural is behind the altarpiece. Vanka painted only the upper section. To the left is a scene of Croatians back in Croatia.

To the right are the same Croatians, now depicted as immigrants to America working in the factories.

Vanka was very much into social justice themes.

This is the altarpiece. It's not a Vanka mural, but it's nice.

St. Nicholas himself is top center in the altarpiece.

Above the altarpiece is a muscular Virgin Mary, modeled after the strong Croatian women that Vanka knew back in the Old Country. She's holding the Christ child:

To the right of the altar is a pieta scene:

Finally, continuing the social justice theme, inspired by a mining disaster near Johnstown, Pennsylvania, is the mural "Immigrant Mother Gives Her Sons for American Industry." The mother mourns her first son who died in the mining disaster. The other sons, depicted marching back into the mine, soon will die in the rescue attempt.

These are the murals from the section that Vanka completed in eight weeks in 1937. Towards the back are the murals Vanka completed in 1941.

In that four-year period, World War II was unleashed. Croatia was under attack. Vanka turned to anti-war themes from his earlier focus on social justice matters.  This is a mourning scene:

White is a mourning color in Croatia.  This one was my favorite among the murals. Mati:

"Mati" is the Croatian word for "mother." This one depicts Croatian womanhood tied to the cross, showing the suffering of Croatia under World War II.

There are even murals surrounding the stained glass windows.  This is Moses bringing the law given him by the Hand of God:

Across the church, again around the stained glass, is St. Peter being handed the keys to the kingdom (to start the church) from the glorified Christ. The all-seeing eye of God watches over the scene.

Murals everywhere. Even on the ceiling, Sistine Chapel style.

This one, again, showing the anti-war theme, is a Nazi soldier bayoneting an exasperated Christ on the cross.

The look on Christ's face is awesome. You know he is thinking "what the ... are you doing?"

Phot-o' the Day: St. Nicholas Cathedral, Hamburg, Germany

The ruins of St. Nicholas Cathedral in Hamburg, Germany.  Taken in May 2019.

The main cathedral in Hamburg was destroyed, in large part, in the retaliatory firebombing campaign by the Allies against Hamburg, in response to the German bombing of London.

Ljubljana II

Boat cruising the Ljubljanica River through the heart of Ljubljana, Slovenia

And no trip to Slovenia would be complete without a visit to its beautiful, nicely-sized capital city of Ljubljana. This is my second visit to Ljubljana. I can't get enough of the place.

The city straddles the rather tiny Ljubljanica River. You may remember this river from the hit movie "Jason and the Argonauts." This is the point where the river disappears on Jason and Hercules has to carry the boat Argos over dry land. The river really does disappear here. It's because of the karst landscape. It goes underground and re-emerges a few times.

I signed up for a free walking tour, which they have in all the major European cities. (Even Trst!) The tour was scheduled to meet at Preseren Square, right beside Ljubljana's famous Triple Bridge.

The bridge is named the "triple bridge" because it is three distinct bridges alongside each other. Noted Slovenian architect Jože Plečnik (the "c" with the smiley above it is pronounced as a "ch"), who designed much of modern Ljubljana after the disastrous 1895 earthquake levelled the city. His work gives the city as a harmony of design.

This is Preseren Square, Prešernov trg in Slovenian, where the tour began at the base of the statue of who? Who would have a statue in Preseren Square? France Prešeren, the Slovenian national poet.

Another picture of the statue just because.

This is the Hauptmann House:

This is one of the few buildings in the neighborhood that survived the 1895 earthquake. After the earthquake, the owner, Mr. Hauptmann, gussied it up to look like it was in the Viennese Secessionist style.

Let's begin the walking tour, shall we.

This is the Franciscan church, the other building in Prešernov trg that survived the 1895 earthquake.

I don't know what this is.

Modern art. Ljubljana to its credit has very little modern (or, worse yet, post-modern) art. Much to its credit. It's part of what makes this is a wonderful, beautiful city.

This is the Cathedral. It is named for St. Nicholas.

These are the ornate main doors, which tell a story of Slovenian history.

Including the crusades! This was the only available land crossing between the Alps and the Adriatic.

And it is all looked over by Pope John Paul II, who now has been upgraded to Saint John Paul.

Completely changing themes. This is a satyr. He's permanently installed on the boring, plain Mesarski most.

He was supposed to be here temporarily, but he was popular -- who doesn't like a satyr who's been skinned alive by Apollo -- so he's now a permanent resident. Mesarski most, "most" being the Slovenian (and Croatian) word for "bridge," is the bridge in Slovenia where they do that love-lock thing that they now do everywhere. This is otherwise a boring bridge, so why not liven it up with those ugly love-locks?

Here is a small statue of two -- frogs? I'm guessing -- engaged in appropriate behavior -- I think? -- for a love-lock bridge.

And here is another picture of a tour boat floating down the Ljubljanica, away from the spot where the river disappeared on Jason and Hercules had to carry the boat over dry land (handy to have had Hercules on board for the task).

We now come to the Dragon Bridge.

It's got four dragon, two on each end, one on each side of each end. It also has griffins. Or gryphon, if you prefer.

But the dragons are cooler.

Here is a butcher shop in the Plečnik-designed central marketplace. Gee. I wonder what meat they butcher in there.

And now we walk past the Cathedral again.

Nice designs on this side.

Then to City Hall. In front is the Robba Fountain, which was all boxed up when I was here five years ago.

In front of City Hall was guy playing a guitar wearing a plastic deer head. Apparently he has a youtube channel where he plays guitar wearing a deer head. You are on your own finding that one.

At this point in the tour, our tour guide brought out samples of blueberry liqueur and fig liqueur for the group. Both were awesome. The fig liqueur really tasted like fig. The blueberry liqueur of Slovenia is probably the tastiest alcoholic beverage known to man.

The tour ended at Kongresni Trg, Congress Square. Ljubljana Castle is visible high in the background. I went there last time I was in Ljubljana. I was accosted by a dragon. I'm not going back.

After the tour, we walked around some more. This is the Ivan Hribar statue. Yes, THAT Ivan Hribar.

I don't have a clue who Ivan Hribar is.

Soon it was time for the obligatory Union Radler, a shandy-type beer flavored with grapefruit. Yes, they sell grapefruit shandy in the U.S. No, it tastes nothing like a Union Radler. They are not the same.

For dessert, there was gibernica.

And pavlova.

Gibernica is layers of apple, poppy seed, cottage cheese and walnuts. The combination does work. And it tastes very Croatian. Pavlova is a Russian dessert made with meringue cookies, whipped cream and berries.

And that is the end of the trip.

I might stay behind with all of my Slovenian friends. Laku noć.