Loretto Chapel, Santa Fe (must see)

Loretto Chapel, one of Santa Fe’s most distinctive Gothic Revival buildings, was constructed for the Sisters of Loretto, who had established New Mexico’s first permanent school for girls in 1853. Originally named the Chapel of Our Lady of Light, it was begun in 1873 and completed in 1878. French architect Projectus Mouly, who also worked on the nearby Cathedral Basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi, designed the chapel with Paris’s Sainte-Chapelle as its inspiration. The two projects shared architects, masons, and local stone quarries.

A rose window fills the upper façade, while stained-glass windows imported from France illuminate the interior. Inside, the chapel has a long, narrow nave, ribbed vaulting, carved details, and a richly decorated sanctuary. The feature that attracts the most attention, however, is the elegant spiral staircase known as the “Miraculous Staircase.” Rising approximately 20 feet to the choir loft, it makes two complete turns without a conventional central column. Built largely from wood and assembled with wooden pegs, the staircase is supported by its curved inner and outer stringers.

According to tradition, the completed chapel initially had no suitable means of reaching the choir loft. After the Sisters prayed a nine-day novena to Saint Joseph, the patron saint of carpenters, a mysterious craftsman appeared and offered to solve the problem. He reportedly worked alone for several months before departing without collecting payment or revealing his identity. The Sisters consequently wondered whether Saint Joseph himself had answered their prayers. Historical research, however, suggests that the craftsman may have been French carpenter François-Jean Rochas. The chapel’s audio presentation recounts the staircase legend and other episodes from the building’s history.