The main church in Santa Fe is its lovely Cathedral, the Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi. Located just a few minutes’ walk from the Basilica is a pretty small Gothic structure known as the Loretto Chapel.
A Brief History of the Loretto Chapel:
In 1850 the first Bishop of New Mexico saw a need to create a school to educate the girls of the Territory. The Sisters of Loretto responded to his request and sent six nuns to open the Loretto Academy. They opened their school in 1863.
By 1873 the Sisters started the construction of a much-needed Chapel for the girl’s school. Fortunately, they were able to use the same architect and builders as the Saint Francis Cathedral Basilica. The Chapel was patterned after Sainte-Chapelle in Paris, though obviously not nearly as lavish; the building’s Gothic architecture was new to the American southwest. The chapel was constructed of a local sandstone. Its spires, buttresses and stained glass were imported from France. The Chapel took five years to complete and was consecrated in 1878.
(the altar of the Loretto Chapel)
When the building was mostly completed, a significant defect still remained, namely there was no staircase to access the second story choir located above the back of the nave. Here is where a local legend began.
According to the Sisters of Loretto, multiple builders were consulted but none were not able to find a workable solution due to the small space available for the stair. The nuns prayed for nine straight days to St. Joseph, the patron saint of carpenters. A mysterious stranger appeared and offered to build the staircase. He worked alone using only a few simple hand tools and disappeared afterwards without collecting his pay. His name was never ascertained. The staircase was built of a non-local wood and is held together by wooden pegs, with no glue, nails or other hardware.
(“The Miraculous Stair”)
In any event, the finished staircase was an impressive work of carpentry, ascending 20 feet (6.1 m) on 33 stairs, without any obvious means of support (almost all spiral stairs have a supporting central beam, not present here). The Sisters of Loretto viewed its construction as a miracle. The “Miraculous Stair” became one of Santa Fe’s most famous tourist attractions.
The helical staircase as originally built lacked handrails and was said to be an adventure to climb and especially to descend, so handrails were added in 1887.
Loretto Chapel was regularly used by the students and nuns of Loretto Academy until the school closed in 1968. Afterwards, the Chapel became a privately owned museum and a popular wedding venue. The rest of the girl’s academy was demolished.
The stairs have been mostly closed to the public since the chapel became a privately-run museum in the 1960s.
Our Visit:
The chapel is small, nicely laid out, and is well maintained. Its staircase is interesting. It doesn’t take very long to explore the chapel nor the few exhibits in the adjoining building. It is a popular wedding venue, hosting about a hundred wedding celebrations a year.
Admission:
Seniors 65 and over: $4
Youth 7-17: $3
Children under 7: free
