Most of the world’s famous Gothic churches are in Europe, from Germany’s Kölner Dom (Cologne Cathedral) to Italy’s Duomo di Milano (Milan Cathedral). But there’s one in New Jersey that’s just as spectacular to behold: the jaw-dropping Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Newark.
If you weren’t expecting to find one of the largest cathedrals in the United States in Newark, an affordable New Jersey hub that’s best-known to many for its huge shipping port and busy international airport, you’re not alone. But Newark, located about 8 miles from Manhattan, is one of the oldest cities in the country. Plans for its historic cathedral, overseen by Newark’s first bishop, were underway by the mid-19th century. The cornerstone was laid in 1899, and the finished cathedral — the seat of the Archdiocese of Newark, perched on the city’s highest point beside Branch Brook Park — was dedicated in 1954.
So how does the towering French Gothic-style cathedral measure up to its European counterparts? Occupying 45,000 square feet, it’s similar in size to London’s Westminster Abbey. Its soaring 232-foot-tall towers are higher than those of Paris’ iconic Notre-Dame Cathedral, and its copper spire tops out at over 300 feet. And if you’re comparing Newark’s cathedral with a New York City landmark, St. Patrick’s Cathedral, the Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart is both longer and taller, per the church’s official website.
Visit Newark’s Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart
Inside, the cathedral is just as impressive. Some of the interior’s most jaw-droppingly beautiful details were crafted in Europe, including stained-glass windows made in Munich and an altar constructed with Italian marble. The cathedral’s bronze doors were brought in from Rome, while the bells in the west tower were produced in Padua, an ancient canal city that’s considered one of Italy’s oldest destinations…