There aren’t many things more beautiful then Curved stair cases and spiral stair cases. They often have a form pleasing to the eye with a graceful ascension. There are reports that suggest the earliest known spiral stair case wasconstructed in 480-470 BC at Temple A in the Greek Colony in Selinante, Sicily. There are a multitude of well-known spiral staircases. The Round Tower in Copenhagen Denmark has no steps, just a spiraling promenade that rises to an observatory. It was commissioned in 1637 and is wide enough for carriages, as demonstrated by Peter The Great when he drove his horses up the tower on a visit to Denmark. The Vatican museum has a double helix of some renown. It is often photographed. One of the most fascinating of all spiral staircases is the one in New Mexico on the Old Santa Fe road in Santa Fe.

The Loretto Chapel was built as part of the Academy of Our Lady of Light. It was begun in 1873 under the guiding hand of the French Architect, Antione Mouly and his son. Mouly had been involved in the renovation of the Sainte Chapelle in Paris, and the Loretto Chapel was modeled after it on a smaller scale. Before it was completed, the architect perished. There are a few accounts that he was gunned down by the Bishops nephew over a woman. In any case, unfinished was the access to the choir loft which was 22 feet in the air. It is believed that the original idea may have been to provide a ladder for entry. This was an unattractive option to thesisters of Our Lady of the Light. They requested carpenters to offer their suggestions. All said it was unfeasible. The chapel was too small to build an adequate stairway.

This is where the legend begins. For nine days the sisters appealed to the Lord, performing a novena. Theybeseeched St. Joseph, the patron saint of carpenters. For over a week nothinghappened. On the ninth day a man came to the church looking for work. With him he had a donkeycarrying woodworking tools. The stranger claimed he could construct a spiral case but would need a couple barrels of water to soak the wood.

There are reports that he worked for 6 months. Others claim it was done much more quickly. The outcome was a wooden spiral staircase with two 360 degree turns on its way to the loft. It was constructed using only wooden dowels, no nails or glue, and had 33 steps leading to the choir loft. The Sisters of Loretto were so pleased they offered a feast for the carpenter. He didn’t appear. The carpenter disappeared without a trace. The stranger didn’t receive his pay. The nuns placed a notice in the paper looking for him, but no one replied.

Those aren’t the only curious facts. The wood making up the staircase is a bit of a question. The type of wood hasn’t been identified. There are those that believe it is constructed from an ancient tree unavailable in New Mexico. None of the timber suppliers had sold any lumber to the Loretto Chapel for the staircase. The two compete turns was a master piece of workmanship. The spiral staircase had no visible means of support. Spiral staircases require a support structure, a center pole or fastening to solidobjects like walls. Some speculate the inner radius of the stair case was narrow enough to act as its own support. Still, it is a marvel of craftsmanship and the Loretto Staircase continues to awe visitors.