Loretto Chapel

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The Loretto Chapel spiral staircase

Exterior of Loretto Chapel

The Loretto Chapel is a chapel in Santa Fe, New Mexico known for its unusual spiral staircase, the construction of which is considered a miracle by the Sisters of Loretto. The staircase has two mysteries connected to it: the identity of its builder and the physics of the construction.

1 History of the staircase construction
2 Responses to the staircase
3 See also
4 External links

[edit] History of the staircase construction

In 1872 Jean Baptiste Lamy, the Bishop of the Santa Fe Archdiocese, commissioned the building of a convent chapel to be named Our Lady of Light Chapel, which would be in the care of the Sisters of Loretto. The chapel was designed by French architect Antoine Mouly in the Gothic Revival style, complete with spires, buttresses, and stained glass windows imported from France. Although it was built on a much smaller scale, the chapel bears an obvious resemblance to the Sainte-Chapelle in Paris.

The architect died suddenly and it was only after much of the chapel was constructed that the builders realized it was lacking any type of stairway to the choir loft. Due to the chapel's small size, a standard staircase would have been too large. (Historians have also noted that earlier churches of the period had ladders rather than stairs to the choir loft, but the Sisters obviously did not feel comfortable with that prospect.)

The story of the supposed miracle continues as follows.

Needing a way to get up to the choir loft the nuns prayed for St. Joseph's intercession for nine straight days. On the day after their novena ended a shabby looking stranger appeared at their door. He told the nuns he would build them a staircase but that he needed total privacy and locked himself in the chapel for three months. He used a small number of primitive tools including a square, a saw and some warm water and constructed a spiral staircase entirely of non-native wood. The identity of the carpenter is not known for as soon as the staircase was finally finished he was gone. Many witnesses, upon seeing the staircase, feel it was a miraculous occurrence.

Yohon Hadwiger, a German woodworker, has been credited with the design and construction of the stairs. However, due to the structure's religious history, this fact remains obscured in favour of legend^{[citation needed]}.

[edit] Responses to the staircase

The resulting staircase is an impressive work of carpentry. It ascends twenty feet, making two complete revolutions up to the choir loft without the use of nails or a center support.

The mystery has never been solved as to who the carpenter was or where he got his lumber, since there are no reports of anyone seeing lumber delivered or even seeing the man come and go while the construction was being done. Since he left before the Mother Superior could pay him, the Sisters of Loretto offered a reward for the identity of the man, but it was never claimed.

The Loretto Chapel today no longer functions as a church, but weddings can be held there through arrangement.