Santa Fe, NM
History
Upon completion of the Loretto Chapel in 1878, it soon became apparent that an important feature had been left out of the construction, access to the choir loft which sat some twenty-two feet above the chapel floor. Although many local carpenters consulted, each gave a similar answer to the problem, a ladder would have to be used as the design left no room for a staircase in the small chapel.
As the legend goes, the Sisters now desperate made a novena to St. Joseph, the patron saint of carpenters. On the final day of prayer, a mysterious man and his donkey appeared at the door of the chapel looking for work. The sisters assured in their faith that this was the answer to their prayers, quickly informed the man of their ever-present dilemma. The man accepted the job and immediately began work. One morning several months later the Sisters awoke to the site of the most elegant staircase they had ever seen, though when they attempted to find the carpenter to give payment and thanks, he had disappeared without a trace.
The staircase itself is a magnificent example of craftsmanship and engineering. It has two 360-degree turns rising 20ft tall on just 33 steps with no visible means of support, or railings (originally), and was constructed without the use of a single nail.
The particular lumber used by the carpenter was a mystery in and of itself as it was not indigenous to the Sante Fe area and quite unknown to local trade at the time. Modern analysis performed on the wood determined it to be a variety of spruce whose closest growing region would have been somewhere in Alaska thousands of miles from Sante Fe.
In 1984, historian Mary J. Straw Cook wrote a book called, “Loretto: The Seven Sisters and Their Santa Fe Chapel”, in which she claims to have uncovered a receipt dated 1881 revealing the nuns paid a man named Rochas for wood.
She also uncovered an old local newspaper article that said Francois Rochas had been shot and killed in his home. The article would go on to say that Rochas was the craftsman who built the Loretto Chapel staircase.
Cook also states in her book that Rochas came to the United States solely to construct the staircase using wood that he had shipped from France.
Francois Rochas’s grave lies in the Our Lady of the Light Catholic Cemetery in La Luz, Otero, New Mexico
In 1998 the movie The Staircase was made about the chapel.
Source: https://www.lorettochapel.com/
Visit
The Loretto Chapel is open 364 days a year, closing only on Christmas Day, however, it does host several weddings and events per year so check the calendar for closures.
For more info visit: https://www.lorettochapel.com/
Loretto Chapel, 207, Old Santa Fe Trail, Santa Fe, Santa Fe County, New Mexico, 87501
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