This month’s Legends and Lore post takes us to New Mexico, the state where my Legends of Madeira series is set.
The city of Santa Fe was founded sometime between 1607 and 1610, making it the second oldest city in the United States. It’s an area rich in history dating back as far as 10000 BC when the Clovis, Folsom, and Ancestral Puebloan cultures inhabited the land.
Modern-day Santa Fe is considered one of the world’s great art cities and is home to several art museums including the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum. In 2005, Santa Fe became the first United States city to be chosen by UNESCO as a creative city, one of only nine such cities in the world.
Santa Fe is also the home of several historical buildings including The Palace of the Governors, St. Francis Cathedral, Santa Fe San Miguel Chapel, and the Loretto Chapel.
The Chapel
The Loretto Chapel is a former Roman Catholic church that is now used as a museum and a wedding venue. It was commissioned by the Sisters of Loretto for a girl’s school, Loretto Academy, in 1873. French architect Projectus Mouly designed the building in a Gothic Revival style, complete with spires, buttresses, and stained glass windows which were imported from France.
The Loretto Chapel in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Photo by Camerafiend, CC BY-SA 3.0
But the chapel is best known for its helix-shaped spiral staircase. It’s the subject of legend. The Sisters of Loretto considered the circumstances surrounding its construction and its builder miraculous.
After completion of the chapel, there was no access to the choir loft twenty-two feet above. Numerous carpenters were consulted, but all concluded access to the loft would have to be via ladder because a staircase would interfere with the small interior space of the chapel.
The Legend
Legend has it that the sisters 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 riding a donkey and carrying a toolbox looking for work. The sisters hired him to design the staircase.
The work took several months, and after the staircase was completed, the carpenter disappeared without receiving pay. After searching for the man and finding no trace of him, some believed he was St. Joseph himself, having come in answer to the sisters’ prayers.
The Staircase
The design of the staircase could be considered a miracle itself. It ascends twenty-two feet, makes two 360-degree turns, and has no visible means of support. It was built without the use of nails, only wooden pegs. Another fascinating aspect is the staircase contains thirty-three steps, a significant number in the Christian faith as Jesus was thirty-three years of age at the time of his death. Railings were added in 1887 by another craftsman, Phillip August Hesch.
The staircase inside the Chapel of Loretto. Attribution: Ben Frantz Dale (assumed based on copyright claims), CC BY-SA 3.0
The Builder
In 2004, amateur historian Mary Jean Cook identified the probable builder as Francois-Jean Rochas, a reclusive rancher and occasional carpenter who came to the Santa Fe area from France sometime in the 1870s.
Rochas was murdered in 1895. An article in the Santa Fe New Mexican at the time of his death stated, “He was a Frenchman, and was favorably known in Santa Fe as an expert worker in wood. He build [sic] the handsome staircase in the Loretto chapel and at St. Vincent sanitarium.”
Cook also found an entry in the Sisters’ logbook that states Rochas was paid $150.00 in 1881 (the equivalent of $4023.00 in 2020). The entry stated he had done some type of carpentry work for them. At the time of his death, Rochas reportedly owned an extensive set of carpentry tools.
A Miracle?
Whether the builder was Rochas or St. Joseph himself, the design of the staircase is remarkable. In a Washington Post column, Tim Carter wrote, “It’s a magnificent work of art that humbles me as a master carpenter. To create a staircase like this using modern tools would be a feat. It’s mind-boggling to think about constructing such a marvel with crude hand tools, no electricity, and minimal resources.”
For his book Mysterious New Mexico, author Ben Radford interviewed another professional carpenter who stated, “The execution is just incredible. The theory of how to do it, to bend it around in a two-turn spiral, that’s some difficult arithmetic there.”
Miracle or not, the staircase is a marvelous work of talent and ingenuity. It rightly deserves its place in New Mexico history and its legends.
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42 Responses
Fascinating, Joan. Thanks for sharing 💕🙂
Legends aside, it’s a magnificent piece of architecture. Thanks, Harmony.
I have heard of this staircase, but I’ve never seen a photo of it. It’s gorgeous!
I would love to see it in person. We visited Santa Fe several years ago but were unable to make it to the chapel. Thanks, Priscilla.
That thing is artwork. Beautiful piece, and a wonderful story to go with it.
Beautiful creation for sure. Thanks, Craig.
I remember hearing about this story recently on a tv show investigating strange stories like this. I don’t remember which one. But it is an intriguing story.
I first heard the story many years ago on Unsolved Mysteries and have since been intrigued by it. There was a more recent show about it, but like you, I can’t remember where I saw it.
I’ve been to the church a couple of times and marvel at its silence and beauty. The staircase is a miracle, no matter who built it. For sure, it’s a heavenly gift. 💗
I’d like to visit there sometime, Gwen. The staircase is beautiful, no matter who built it.
This was a fascinating post. That staircase is really incredible. I do wonder, though, why the architect of the chapel would include a choir loft but no way to get to it.
You do have to wonder about that, Liz. I don’t understand it either. Someone wasn’t thinking clearly, for sure.
I wouldn’t hire that architect again!
For real, Liz! 🙂
What a gorgeous staircase! I had goose bumps (of the good variety) while reading this. What a fascinating legends, and a beautiful work of art. It must be amazing to see in person!
Isn’t it beautiful, Mae? I first heard the story years ago on Unsolved Mysteries. Still intrigues me.
I have visited the Loretto Chapel and agree that the staircase is an amazing work of art. Whoever built it was a master craftsman for sure. Thank you for sharing, Joan!
I would love to see it in person. We had plans to visit the last time we were in Santa Fe but weren’t able to. It is a beautiful structure. Thanks, Jan.
I was literally there just two weeks ago. It’s fascinating.
Wow, Sharon! I’ve not seen the inside of the chapel in person, but I hope to someday!
Reblogged this on Sharon E. Cathcart and commented:
I visited the Loretto chapel during my New Mexico sojourn just two weeks ago. I promise you all, a report will be coming soon. In the meanwhile, consider this a preview!
Thank you for the reblog, Sharon. I can’t wait to see your post!
I say it was built by St. Joseph. Im going to stick with that.
Works for me, John!
😊
What a beautiful staircase, Joan 🙂 I like to believe it was a miracle.
Me too, Denise. Whatever the case, it is a beautiful piece of architecture.
What an amazing piece of carpentry work. There would be no way I would climb those stairs without the added on railing. It would be great to see them in person.
I’m right there with you, Michele, and was thinking the same thing while looking at the photo. I doubt I’d climb them with a railing! They are beautiful, however.
I got chills reading this one, Joan!! Such a wonderful & magical story. Thank you for sharing about the chapel and its staircase! The building is beautiful, as are the stairs!
I’ve been intrigued by this story for a long time. I agree, both the chapel and the stairs are beautiful.
What a beautiful staircase! Like some other folks here, I also got goosebumps reading about it, Joan.
It is a magnificent piece of carpentry work – legend or not. Thanks for stopping by, Teri!
When I got home, I went back to find this blog. Glad I did. The story’s amazing!
Pretty incredible piece of carpentry, isn’t it? And the legend has intrigued me since I first heard it. Thanks, Judi!
Amazing workmanship! And all with wooden pegs!
Beautiful, isn’t it? Thanks, Jacquie!
Very cool staircase, Joan. It’s just beautiful. Almost like it’s floating. And a pretty church too. I enjoy these posts. Keep em coming.
Thanks, Diana. I love legends and folklore. This one was a bit different, but the story about the staircase has fascinated me. Beautiful craftsmanship.
It’s gorgeous, and the person who added the railing did a wonderful job complementing the original work too. Makes me want to go there. 🙂
Reblogged this on Literacy and Me.
Thank you for the reblog, Rae!