Lotus Moment: Inside the Sacred Heart

Why This Is Awesome: Art comes in many forms. Some are iconoclastic and revolutionary, while others are traditional and sanctified. Architecture is one of those forms that can be all of the above and still be beloved by all.

Behold! This is just one of the few shots I managed to capture before putting my camera away right before the wonderfully talented conductor Roderick Cox led the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra and the Montclair State University Singers in a holiday performance of Handel's Messiah inside the Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Newark, NJ.

That brisk Sunday evening last December not only provided me with the beatific experience of listening to magnificent opera singers -- the choir, as well as the soloists -- but I was also able to do so inside one of the more under-appreciated treasures of my country, my state and my city.

The Cathedral is the 5th largest in North America, and sits on the highest hill in Newark. This amazing structure is only a mile from my home, but I've never been certain if it was open to non-parishioners. So when I heard that Cox would be conducting the NJSO here, it was an opportunity not to be missed.

As usual, my photos do not do the space justice, so perhaps someday, you'll get to see the inside for yourself. In the meantime, here's a few more views of the architectural icon.

The Cathedral Basilica interior just below the rose window.

The confessionals in the cathedral are just as ornate as the exterior.

A look inside the Cathedral as the choir enters.

A photo I captured of the Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart entrance on a sunny winter's day in February 2017.