Souvenir Chronicles: NEWARK, NEW JERSEY: CATHEDRAL BASILICA OF THE SACRED HEART

Newark is New Jersey's most populous city (approximately 282,000 residents), is one of the oldest European-settled cities in the United States, and has one of the largest Gothic cathedrals in the United States. The Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart is 365 feet long and 165 feet wide (about five feet longer and five feet wider than a football field) and took 95 years to design and build. Planning for a cathedral began in 1859, the groundbreaking occurred in 1898, the first mass was held in it in 1928, and the finished cathedral was finally dedicated in 1954.

Sometimes I feel like the remodeling of our house has been about that slow.

One of the most distinct features of the exterior is the two front bell towers, which are rotated 45 degrees so that the corners point out, creating a three-dimensional rather than a flat front. It makes the building feel a little bit like a fairy castle rather than a church.

A series of complicated turrets and steeples can be seen from the back:

A side view:

There were two enormous azalea bushes in full bloom on the grounds:

Note to kids--I love this tribute:

Three sets of front doors have lots of interesting parts:

There are the ornate doors themselves with panels depicting scenes from the lives of various saints and scenes from the Old and New Testament:

Top half of one set of doors

Bottom half of one set of doors

Daniel in the lions' den

There is a stone tympanum over each set of doors carved with scenes from the life of Christ:

Stone filigree work crowns the doors and a statue of Christ welcoming and blessing visitors stands between the central sets of doors:

The nave is long and lofty, and the white marble keeps it from the gloominess that sometimes besets Gothic churches:

The organ console stands between the choir seats rather than in the loft at the rear of the church. While we were there, the incredibly talented church organist was practicing for a program to be held the following day. I would have loved to come back for his recital.

Looking back to the rear of the cathedral:

A life-sized crucifix carved from rose marble is suspended in the sanctuary:

Lacy woodwork encases the sanctuary:

The pulpit is to the right of the altar, and the Papal umbrella, signifying that this is a basilica, is nearby. The cathedral was elevated to a basilica during the 1995 visit of Pope John Paul II:

Stone carvings fill the niches:

The entrance to the ambulatory that surrounds the choir is a combination of cold marble and warm wood:

There are numerous chapels on the ambulatory, many honoring the different groups of immigrants who helped to construct the cathedral, including Poles and other Eastern Europeans, Irish, Germans, Italians, Asians, and Hispanics.

There is a chapel dedicated to Ann, the mother of Mary and grandmother of Jesus:

I'm not sure what the three cloth covered objects are in the picture on the left. Does anyone know? I think that's Our Lady of Lourdes on the right:

There are hundreds of wonderful architectural details in this church, but it is particularly known for its stained glass windows. Supposedly, it has more windows than the great Chartes Cathedral in France. The stunning rose window over the main entrance is 36 feet across and is the largest stained glass window of any Catholic church in the Western Hemisphere:

There are also many smaller circular windows throughout:

Many of the windows honor saints and former popes. There's nothing like a cathedral to make me realize how little I know about Catholic saints.

Here is Pope Piux X, St. Therese, and one of the many St. Johns:

St. Antoninus, St. Bernadette, and St. Cornelius:

St. Lutgardis, St. Anthony, and St. Rocco:

A few Old Testament figures are represented. I love this one of King David:

Other windows depict scenes from and related to the life of Jesus Christ. This window illustrates what must be the Anunciation:

Just below a beautiful rendering of the Magnificat is a depiction of the tender meeting of Mary and her cousin Elizabeth:

Of course there are many representations of Mary in her various roles:

I always like scenes that include Joseph. In this window, Mary is spinning wool and Joseph is carrying the square, a carpenter's tool. The young boy Jesus is carrying--what else?--a cross:

The largest, most ornate and detailed windows show scenes from Christ's ministry. These windows are all three-paneled and have a rosette on top:

. . . but I've cropped them to focus on the images of Christ. Here he is performing his first miracle, turning water into wine at a wedding in Cana. Note the bride and groom on his left, his mother Mary seated, the servant pouring the wine in the foreground, and the guest on Christ's right:

There are several windows showing Christ healing the sick:

Christ tells his disciples where to cast their nets:

. . . and he calms the raging sea:

. . . and just in time as one of the disciples has fallen out of the boat:

Those appear to be keys in Christ's left hand. Perhaps this is where he gives the keys to Peter and tells him, "Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven":

I'm not sure what event is being illustrated in these next two windows. If you have a guess (or if you know), leave a comment:

Christ and his disciples on the Mount of Transfiguration (note Moses with his stone tablets on the left):

The Last Supper, with Judas sneaking away in the foreground as he puts a bag of coins in his breast pocket:

This large, especially brilliantly-colored window shows the resurrected Christ emerging victoriously from the tomb:

Note the way the muscles on his chest are defined by the cut of the glass pieces. That must be Mary in the background, the first to see the resurrected Savior:

This is not one of the tryptichs, but I really love it. At first I thought it might be Veronica, an apocryphal figure who was supposed to have wiped the face of Christ with her cloth as he made his way to Golgotha, but on closer examination, I see that the figure has wings. I've decided it is an angel holding the shroud that covered Christ's face in the tomb. Is the hammer in her hand the one used to nail him to the cross?

One other wonderful feature of the Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart is the Stations of the Cross. Usually the Stations are small paintings or carvings hung around the perimeter of the church, but these were gilded mosaics set atop altars and surrounded by Gothic trim: