AP PHOTOS: Famed church murals featuring social commentary revived by conservationists

MILLVALE, Pa. (AP) — Workers have completed a phase of conservation work on historic murals by the late artist Maxo Vanka at St. Nicholas Croatian Catholic Church near Pittsburgh.

The vivid results underscore the original power of the murals, which Vanka painted more than 80 years ago, fusing traditional Catholic iconography with searing social commentary.

The team of more than a dozen workers cleaned off grime, extracted corrosive salts from the walls, stabilized plaster and delicately filled in areas of lost paint with new pastels and watercolors.

The artist’s granddaughter said of the mural, “He always called it his gift to America.”

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This is a photo gallery curated by AP photo editor Patrick Sison.

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