St Anthony’s Chapel

This place is unbelievable. I was never really into religious relics but the history involved in these relics is really intimidating. Go on a tour with someone knowledgable and you won’t feel the same way about your Catholic faith again. Relics from the apostles and 5000 others saints along with slivers from the cross. Priest that collected these had to be spiritually inspired. Awesome story and a hidden treasure!

Though nondescript on the outside, those that enter will be amazed at the shear amount of miniature bone fragment relics, kitschy displays, and Pittsburgh history present. You probably wont spend more than a half hour here, unless you stop for the quick tour, which will provide the backstory for those truly curious about the life and times of Fr. Mollinger.
What a random jewel!

This gorgeous chapel is the home of over 5,000 relics of saints and religious figures from the Catholic church. Only the Vatican housed more relics. It’s a treasure for sure. I chaperoned my son’s 5^th grade class as they had the opportunity to tour the chapel and celebrate mass there. So beautiful and inspiring! No photos are allowed. A small donation is encouraged ($ 3/​person) and candles can be lot for devotion as well ($ 3/​ea). Parking is available on a tree or in the lot across the street.

I was raised Catholic (but no longer practice), and have always been fascinated by relics and the stories of saints – so I was really looking forward to our tour of St Anthony’s. BEWARE: I can’t speak for their other guides, but the gentleman (a lay person, not a priest) who «led» ours was far more interested in haranguing the crowd on the nature of TRUE believers, the infallibility of the Catholic faith, and whether we’d all found our «charisms» — the gifts we needed to be using if we were going to be saints, too – than showing us any relics. After an hour of his sermon – and nary a single fact about the hundreds of relics that surrounded us – we left. What a disappointment. What a huckster.

My wife and I have visited St. Anthony’s Chapel three time so far and every time the experience is a moving one. I would recommend the guided tour. The amount of relics contained in the chapel is amazing. If you a person of faith this is a wonderful place.

I’ve lived in Pittsburgh for 20 years and JUST discovered St. Anthony’s Chapel. A friend of mine was visiting from NYC and, though not at all religious, he’s an antiques and history freak. He discovered SAC and urged us to take him there.
This is home to the largest collection of relics open to the public in the world and to a life-​sized version of statuary of the Stations of the Cross. The experience is breathtaking. The tour guides — free tours Sat through Thu at 1, 2, and 3pm — are extremely knowledgeable and open to any and all questions.
We were just blown away by the rich history and beauty of the place plunked down in the middle of a rather ordinary corner of the North Side.
If you have guests in town looking for something out of the ordinary or if you’ve never been, it’s well worth the schlep.