Loretto Chapel
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The Loretto Chapel is a chapel in Santa Fe, New Mexico known for its unusual spiral staircase that is an exceptional work of carpentry. The construction and builder of the staircase is considered a miracle by the Sisters of Loretto and many who visit it. [1]
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[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 because of the long robes that they wore.
The story of the 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.
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 apparent center support. It has been surmised that the central spiral of the staircase is narrow enough to serve as a central beam. Nonetheless there was no attachment unto any wall or pole in the original stairway, although in 1887 -- 10 years after it was built -- a railing was added and the outer spiral was fastened to an adjacent pillar [2]. Instead of metal nails, the staircase was constructed using dowels or wooden pegs [3]. The wood for the staircase cannot be found anywhere in the region. The stairs had 33 steps,the age of Jesus when he died.
The mystery had never been satisfactorily solved as to who the carpenter was or where he got his lumber, since there were 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.
[edit] Explanations for the mystery
Johann (Yohon) Hadwiger, a German woodworker, was once credited with the design and construction of the stairs. [4] The source of this claim, Yohon's grandson Oscar Hadwiger, later admitted he had no proof of the claim. [5]
[edit] Unsolved Mysteries
The case was investigated and subsequently re-enacted in the Unsolved Mysteries episode "The Staircase".
[edit] Loretto Academy
Loretto Chapel was used on a daily basis by the female students of Loretto Academy as well as by its nuns until the Academy and Chapel closed as Catholic institutions. Born in Santa Fe in 1917 (1917-2005), Mary Frances Hill (née Julian) attended the Loretto Academy from 1920 until 1935 and is considered to have attended the Academy longer than any other student and as having climbed the miraculous staircase more times than anyone else as a result of having been a member of the Academy's choir. In 1968, after the Academy closed, the all-male St. Michael's High School turned co-ed to accommodate the Academy's female students.
[edit] The chapel today
The Loretto Chapel no longer functions as a church, but weddings may be arranged. [1]
The chapel is owned by a private company which owns the hotel next to it. There is an entrance fee of $3.00 for the chapel.
The hotel near the Loretto Chapel is called the Inn and Spa at Loretto. It was built in 1975 to resemble a Taos Pueblo. It is a four star hotel along the Old Santa Fe Trail, and its location is within walking distance to Santa Fe's central Plaza, the Palace of the Governors and many art galleries, shops and restaurants.[6]
[edit] References
- ^ a b History of the Loretto Chapel
- ^ Helix to Heaven
- ^ The Mysterious Staircase of Loretto Chapel - Analysis
- ^ History, legend, literature come together in Santa Fe
- ^ The mystery of Santa Fe's miracle stairway
- ^ Frommers, Inn and Spa at Loretto, Santa Fe, 2009 Wiley Publishing, 3 Mar 2009, http://www.frommers.com/destinations/santafe/H6335.html
[edit] See also
- Spiral staircase
- Bishop Jean Baptiste Lamy
- Miracle
- Roman Catholic Church
- Archdiocese of Santa Fe
- St. Joseph
- Prayer
- Novena
- Carpentry
[edit] External links
- Loretto Chapel home page
- Loretto Chapel Staircase; Investigative Files (Skeptical Inquirer November 1998)
- Snopes.com article explaining the construction of the staircase
- Unusual Color Image of the Miraculous Staircase of Loretto Chapel
- Augusta Chronicle Article
Coordinates: 35°41′8″N 105°56′16″W / 35.68556°N 105.93778°W
