Loretto Chapel
by Jurgen Lorenzen
Title
Loretto Chapel
Artist
Jurgen Lorenzen
Medium
Photograph - Photography
Description
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.
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.
Today Loretto Chapel is a museum and wedding venue located in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Uploaded
June 29th, 2019
Statistics
Viewed 322 Times - Last Visitor from New York, NY on 03/26/2024 at 8:41 PM
Embed
Share
Sales Sheet
Comments (19)
Suzanne Wilkinson
We visited here a few years ago and it is an amazing place. You have captured it’s wonder beautifully! l/f
Jane Loomis
What a beautiful church and staircase! I loved the story too - thank you for telling it, Jurgen! L/F
Luther Fine Art
Congratulations! Your fantastic art has been featured on the Home Page of the ABC Group E IS FOR ECCLESIASTICAL themed week DECEMBER 9 - DECEMBER 16. You are invited to add this wonderful art to the Features Archive Discussion in the ABC GROUP