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No, this isn’t a title of the next summer horror flick. This was sub-topic in the homily of a Bishop’s mass on the 1st of May, 2007 over at Christ the King Parish on Green Meadows Avenue.

He mentioned that most of us, parishioners, would mention going to Europe for a pilgrimage to the different famous church sites, but very few or none would say that they are going to the US to visit churches there. Some would even raise an eyebrow at the thought (just as some of you are doing right now). There is at least one such place that attracts visitors from the world over—the Miraculous Staircase. Not the Scala Santa (Holy Staircase) near St. John Lateran in Rome. That’s 28 steps, this one has 33!

History

In 1852, seven Sisters of Loretto at the Foot of the Cross left their Kentucky Motherhouse for the southwest’s Land of Enchantment. Never did they dream that their rugged trip across the country would be so full of struggles.

The seven missionaries traveled up the Mississippi River to Independence, Missouri by boat. One sister could not go any further because of her health, and returned to the Kentucky Motherhouse. The others journeyed on with horses and a covered wagon.

As the nuns reached the Plains of Kansas, they settled down for the night, hoping to rest from their exhausting adventures. That evening, a band of Indians on horse-back surrounded the small camp and rode, furiously, in a circular formation, frightening the six sisters half-to-death. For some unknown reason, the Indians did not harm the nuns. The mounted Indians rode-off, leaving the sisters in peace - most certainly whispering prayers of Thanksgiving.

On that same evening, (the records from the convent-archives states that) one of the sisters died. This beloved member of the Sisters of Loretto was buried in Kansas by her companions, in an unmarked grave. The sisters did not want her remains to be desecrated. After several months of traveling, the five sisters reached the City of Holy Faith, and immediately found a home in the center of town. Santa Fe, New Mexico, in those years, was a very small village inhabited mostly by Indians and Mexicans. At the invitation of the newly consecrated Archbishop Lamy, (the first bishop of the Archdiocese of Santa Fe), the Sisters of Loretto settled in New Mexico, opening their first academy for girls in 1853.

Building the 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.

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.

There are varying accounts after these facts. Some say the architect suddenly died, leaving no plans for stairs to access the choir loft. Some say lack of funds prevented construction of a connection to the second story of the convent-school, using an outdoor hallway. In any case, the chapel was left with a loft that nobody could reach and having an ordinary staircase would have occupied a lot of space in the small 25 feet by 75 feet structure.

Needing a way to get up to the choir loft the nuns prayed for St. Joseph’s intercession for nine straight days. There are also some variations to the story here.

Version 1: 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.

Version 2: On the last day of the novena, a gray-haired man on a donkey appeared at the convent with a chest full of tools. He asked to speak with the Mother Superior. He offered to build the sisters a staircase, but required one thing in return. The superior, who was properly introduced, was never to disclose the name of the craftsman. Mother Magdalene ordered her nuns not to speak with the gentleman, and, under no circumstances, was he to be bothered. The superior swore herself to secrecy, and even upon her deathbed, refused to divulge the man’s identity.

Building the staircase was an effortless job, quickly accomplished. The sisters who anxiously watched the carpenter, reported that he used only a saw, a T-square and a hammer. They all observed (from a distance) the quiet man placing pieces of wood into large tubs of hot water.

The carpenter worked continuously, and when he had completed his chore, he went to report his accomplishments to Mother Magdalene. With great enthusiasm, Mother rounded up all her sisters, and they gathered in the chapel to inspect their new marvel. In the excitement, the carpenter disappeared. He never sent a bill.

Immediately stories began to circulate around the quaint village of Santa Fe, that Saint Joseph himself had come to the Loretto Academy to build the miraculous staircase for the sisters, and left before they could thank him. Visitors came from many states to view the spiral wonder.

Architects, carpenters, and disbelievers all wondered exactly who the craftsman was, and where he’d purchased his materials. Every lumber yard in New Mexico was approached and questioned, but to this day no one has ever come up with an invoice. No one ever found the name of the genius who built the steps to the loft. The many searchers did agree on one thing; the wood used in the staircase was foreign to the United States. Visitors from the Middle East have claimed that the hardwood used, belongs to them. (Note: The are speculations that the wood has come from Israel.)

The staircase is twenty-two feet high, and has thirty-three steps forming two complete circular turns of 360 degrees each—without a center support. There were absolutely no nails used. The entire structure is held together with wooden pegs. The hardwood is spliced in seven places on the inside, and in nine on the outside. Each piece forms a perfect curve. More photos of the steps.

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