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The Mistery of the Staircase in Loretto Chapel
Who Was The Carpenter?
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The Mystery of the Staircase In the Loretto Chapel in Santa Fe
There are many mysteries in the world and around us; people have reported these un-explainable
phenomenons for a long time. Sometime an ordinary building is the center of the attention after a reflection of
light is seen as the Virgin Mary inside the main lobby of the building, other time people have seen strange
figures of capricious rock formations of
the mountains in the state of Utah and some folks have seen what
could be man-made structures in Mars. The list is long and it grows a bit more every year. However, there is
one site, one location offering an un-explainable mystery that we all can visit and see first hand. It is located in
the city of Santa Fe, the capital of the state of New Mexico; the Loretto Chapel offers all the components of a
good and unsolved mystery. Are you ready to solve a puzzle that has remained a mystery for two centuries?
If you are then available, the address where the mystery is located is as follows: 207 Old Santa Fe TrailSanta Fe,
NM 87501
If you solve this mystery, we at PVC, assure you that your name will pass to history as one of the greatest
investigators, mystery solver of all times.
If you want to offer us your opinion, click on the button labeled My Opinion. Thank you.
The History
It was in the year 1610 that the Spanish founded a town that is now known as Santa Fe, the capitol of
the state of New Mexico. Santa Fe was originally called the Royal City of the Holy Faith of St. Francis of
Assisi or, as it was named in Spanish, La Villa Real de la Santa Fe de San Francisco de Assisi. It was
occupied by Indians, Mexicans, and Spanish and was under Spanish control until a war, which placed
this area under the rule of the New Republic of Mexico for 25 years.
Later, As a result of the US victory in the Mexican war, this southwest area was ceded to the United
States in 1848. Following the war we find the city of Santa Fe having a multiplicity of cultures. Native
American Indian, Spanish, Mexican and Anglo cultures provide a rich, varied and very colorful heritage.
At the end of the Old Santa Fe Trail stands the Loretto Chapel. Inside the Gothic structure is the
staircase referred to as miraculous, inexplicable, marvelous and is sometimes called St. Joseph’s
Staircase.
The stairway confounds architects, engineers and master craftsmen. It makes over two complete 360-
degree turns, stands 20’ tall and has no center support. It rests solely on its base and against the choir
loft.
The risers of the 33 steps are all of the same height. Made of an apparently extinct wood species, it
was constructed with only square wooden pegs without glue or nails.
Inside today’s Loretto Chapel
View of today’s Loretto Chapel
Three mysteries surround the spiral staircase in the Loretto Chapel:
The identity of its builder,
The type of wood used,
And the physics of its construction.
When the Loretto Chapel was completed in 1878, there was no way to access the choir loft twenty-two
feet above. Carpenters were called in to address the problem, but they all concluded access to the loft
would have to be via ladder, as a staircase would interfere with the interior space of the small Chapel.
Legend says that to find a solution to the seating problem, the Sisters of the Chapel made a novena to St.
Joseph, the patron saint of carpenters.
On the ninth and final day of prayer, a man appeared at the Chapel with a donkey and a toolbox looking for
work. Months later, the elegant circular staircase was completed, and the carpenter disappeared without
pay or thanks.
After searching for the man (an ad even ran in the local newspaper) and finding no trace of him, some
concluded that he was St. Joseph himself, having come in answer to the sisters' prayers.
Two complete 360-degree turns, stands 20’
tall and has no center support. It rests solely
on its base and against the choir loft. It has 33
steps.
The stairway's carpenter, whoever he was, built a magnificent structure. The design was innovative for the
time and some of the design considerations still perplex experts today.
The staircase has two 360 degree turns and no visible means of support. It is said that the staircase was
built without nails—only wooden pegs. Questions also surround the number of stair risers relative to the
height of the choir loft and about the types of wood and other materials used in the stairway's
construction.
Over the years many have flocked to the Loretto Chapel to see the Miraculous Staircase. The staircase has
been the subject of many articles, TV specials, and movies including "Unsolved Mysteries" and the full-
length movie titled "The Staircase", staring William Petersen and Barbara Hershey.
No metal nails, no glue and no central suport
From the three mysteries listed in this article we could formulate several questions, here you have them:
•
Who was the carpenter?
•
Where did he come from?
•
How did the wood was carried to the chapel?
That kind of wood no longer exists on earth nor it existed by the time the carpenter did build the
staircase, then,
•
Where did he find the wood?
•
How did he curve the wood?
And some more…
The movie
Are you ready to solve this mystery? The place to be is marked by the red drop in the map!
