Me (in the blue shirt with my back to the camera) staring at the Miraculous Staircase. Loretto Chapel. Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Loretto Chapel
All three of you who have read all of my travel pages know that I will always make time during my trips to visit any place where supernatural activity has supposedly occurred. This urge has taken me to Loch Ness in 1995, Canterbury Cathedral in 1997, Knock in 1998, and St. Joseph’s Oratory in 1999. So, when it became apparent that we were going to Santa Fe, I had to include a stop at the Loretto Chapel to see the famous staircase that was supposedly built by St. Joseph himself. I was expecting to be impressed with the staircase, but I wasn’t ready to be impressed with the chapel’s beauty.
It was pretty easy to recognize the Loretto Chapel once we got near it. The building is an exquisite Gothic jewel in the middle of earthen adobe structures. There was a beautiful statue of Mary gracing the point of the roof over the front door. The whole structure looked like something that would be more at home in Europe as opposed to New Mexico. Considering the Loretto Chapel was modeled after Sainte Chapelle in Paris, that impression is not misplaced.
My excitement at the beautiful exterior was offset by a sign just outside the front door which said, "“The Loretto Chapel. As seen on Unsolved Mysteries. Admission: $2.50/person.” I actually was a little disgusted by the sign. I thought that it was another case of the Church cashing in on a supposed miracle. Fortunately, I found out once I got to the cashier’s desk that the Loretto Chapel is no longer owned by the Archdiocese of Santa Fe, but is instead privately owned. I’m not sure why it was then acceptable for someone to charge admission, but it did become acceptable at that point.
We paid our admission and entered the building. To say that I was stunned would be an understatement. The chapel was a stunning display of Gothic church architecture. The vaulted roof, the stone arches supporting the walls and the overall verticality of the structure were simply amazing. The fact that it was done in such a miniature scale simply confirmed my impression that I had when looking at the exterior: this building felt like a little piece of Europe transported into Santa Fe.
A Gothic structure just wouldn’t be complete without fantastic stained glass. I spent a lot of time studying all of the stained glass windows (except the Rose Window, which one cannot reach). The glass perfectly accentuated the mood of the room. It was equal to several pieces that I’d seen in Europe. Even the Rose Window was perfectly decorated. As was the case with the architecture, the glass just added to the atmosphere of the building.
Of course, one can’t talk about the Loretto Chapel without talking about the staircase. I won’t repeat the legend because it’s probably been over-told (however, if you don’t know it, please click on the link above). The legend certainly lends an appropriate air of mystery to the structure. But, I think that the staircase would be admired (and even venerated in a certain way) regardless of its supernatural association. I stared at it for about 30 minutes both admiring the craftsmanship and wondering how anyone could build it. What’s even more impressive is that the joints are so seamless that it appears to have been made out of a single piece of wood. Even I, who doesn’t have any architectural training outside of looking at buildings, was impressed with the engineering that went into the structure. Is it of divine origin? I don’t know. But, I can say with some confidence that the ingenuity displayed in the design must have been divinely inspired.
The chapel’s exit door leads to a hallway which opens into a gift store. Again, I probably would’ve been made noxious by this blatant attempt to cash in on the Chapel’s history had this been a Church building. But, because the chapel and the hotel next to it (which use to be a Catholic girls school) were in private hands, I didn’t mind as much as I would have. However, the fact that this beautiful building had been sold made me wonder about the financial viability of the Santa Fe Archdiocese. These thoughts were given greater credence when I considered that the old San Ysidro Church in Corrales (and, as I would later find, the Sanctuario de Guadalupe in Santa Fe) were both being used for secular purposes. It made me wonder if the Santa Fe Archdiocese had suffered through some lean financial conditions in the 1970’s which forced them to sell of some of their properties. In some cases (like the old San Ysidro Church), the results of this “privatization” were less than optimal. Fortunately, the new owners of the Loretto Chapel realized what a gem they had on their hands, and chose to preserve it in a way that kept its unique qualities.
I’ll put this simply. A visitor must include a stop at the Loretto Chapel if they are visiting Santa Fe. While the staircase is worth seeing and pondering over, the architecture and the atmosphere are what really make the visit worthwhile.
The Loretto Chapel is open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday. As mentioned before, admission is $2.50/person.
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