Near the end of the Santa Fe Trail, and just a block from the Cathedral of St. Francis, is another of the city's top attractions; the Loretto Chapel. In 1850, Bishop Lamay wanted to create an educational system for his congregation, so he sent out letters requesting help from teaching nuns. The first to accept this request were seven Sisters of Loretto, who began their long and arduous journey from Missouri. Along the way, the group's Mother Superior died. After finally reaching Santa Fe, in 1853, the Sisters opened the Academy of Our Lady of Light (Loretto). This school for girls covered a square block and included ten buildings. As the academy grew, the Sisters felt they needed their own chapel. Bishop Lamay persuaded architect Atoine Mouly (who was designing the Cathedral of St. Francis at the time) to design the chapel in the style of Sainte-Chapelle in Paris. Mouly died before construction was completed. Most notably absent in the plans was a staircase up to the choir loft. The Sisters' novena for a solution was answered when a mysterious carpenter arrived and offered to build the stairs. What he constructed (sometime between 1877 and 1881 - no one knows for sure), known now as St. Joseph's Staircase, has confounded professionals ever since. This twenty foot tall structure, which makes two 360 degree turns, was built only with square wooden pegs (no nails nor glue) and without any center support. When completed, the carpenter disappeared without payment or thanks. As originally built, the "Miraculous Stairs" had no railings, resulting in the Sisters climbing the stairs on their hands and knees. Railings were added several years later. In 1968, the chapel closed and was deconsecrated in 1971 when the property was sold to a private enterprise. It is now a museum. Loretto Chapel and its miraculous staircase have been the subject of a number television specials and films, including an episode of "Unsolved Mysteries" and "The Staircase".
Welcome to the Loretto Chapel...
Bishop Lamay had wanted the Chapel to resemble Sainte-Chapelle in Paris.
What became known as the "St. Joseph Staircase", soon was the main reason folks came to visit the Chapel.
In its original construction, the staircase contained neither nails, glue, nor center support. But, most importantly, railings were not included (as seen in this simulation ). Because of complaints from the nuns that they had to climb the stairs on their hands and knees, railings were added several years later.