| The Chapel of Our Lady of Light in Santa
| |
| | built the wooden staircase without the
|
| Fe, New Mexico, is the home of a wooden
| |
| | use of nails, screws, or central support.
|
| spiral staircase steeped in mystery.
| |
| | After some time, the staircase was
|
| Actually, it is not the staircase that is
| |
| | complete and the carpenter left, without
|
| the mystery, it is the lone carpenter who
| |
| | payment. The nuns planned a great feast,
|
| built it...
| |
| | but no one knew where the carpenter
|
| In 1852, seven nuns left Kentucky
| |
| | stayed or where he may have gone, even
|
| travelling in covered wagons to Santa Fe
| |
| | the local lumberyard had no record of the
|
| to bring education and religion to the
| |
| | purchase of wood. The nuns began to
|
| growing city. Five nuns arrived in Santa
| |
| | believe it was St. Joseph himself, the
|
| Fe, one nun died of Cholera, one turned
| |
| | father of Jesus, who built the
|
| back too sick to continue. Once in Santa
| |
| | awe-inspiring staircase. Especially since
|
| Fe, the Sisters of Loretto set up camp
| |
| | there were exactly 33 stairs, the number
|
| and began their work.
| |
| | of years Jesus was on Earth before
|
| In 1873, construction began on the Chapel
| |
| | ascending to heaven.
|
| of Our Lady of Light, the chapel
| |
| | There have been a few who claim to know
|
| commissioned along with Our Lady of Light
| |
| | who may have built the staircase. Some
|
| Academy. The architect of the beautiful
| |
| | say Johann Hadwiger, a master carpenter,
|
| gothic chapel was the charming and
| |
| | built the spiral staircase. He spent 2
|
| talented Projectus Mouly,18 year old son
| |
| | years traveling and working in the west,
|
| of master architect Antoine Mouly. Sadly,
| |
| | and after his death, his grandson found a
|
| in 1878, just before it's completion, the
| |
| | sketch of a spiral staircase with 33
|
| charismatic French architect was shot and
| |
| | steps in his old toolbox. Perhaps it was
|
| killed by John Lamy, the nephew of the
| |
| | Francois-Jean Rochas, whose death notice
|
| archbishop, because John believed his
| |
| | written in The Santa Fe New Mexican
|
| wife received too much of the young
| |
| | newspaper read "an expert worker in wood
|
| architect's attention.
| |
| | who built the staircase in the Loretto
|
| The Loretto nuns were left with a
| |
| | chapel".
|
| beautiful chapel and no stairway to the
| |
| | So who built the mysterious spiral
|
| choir loft. It was determined that the
| |
| | staircase? Man or Saint? Perhaps the
|
| staircase in Mouly's plans wouldn't fit.
| |
| | better question is, if it were a mere
|
| Many architects and carpenters visited
| |
| | mortal man, does it really matter? Five
|
| the chapel, but none could come up with a
| |
| | nuns, in 1878 Santa Fe, prayed for
|
| staircase to fit inside the chapel
| |
| | someone to do what no other architect,
|
| without remodelling the inside of the
| |
| | engineer, craftsman, or carpenter who
|
| chapel itself, and taking up valuable
| |
| | visited the chapel before-hand could do,
|
| space. So the nuns prayed for an answer
| |
| | and many visiting master carpenters and
|
| to their staircase dilemma.
| |
| | architects to this day stand in awe of.
|
| Here begins the mystery... after eight
| |
| | They prayed for a miracle, a master
|
| days of prayer, an elderly carpenter with
| |
| | carpenter, and he came. An elderly man
|
| a mule and simple tools arrived and said
| |
| | with his mule, his simple tools, and his
|
| he could build the staircase. He alone
| |
| | humility.
|
