Sante Fe and Her Churches

Sante Fe … Wow how wonderful this town is with its mix of the old and new. The square was bustling with activity since it is their 400th anniversary. Music, dancing, and poetry readings were happening all day and into the evening. There were even some colorful characters.

I am drawn to churches, maybe not so much on Sundays, but drawn to them all the same. I love how simple some are and how some are so ornate you wonder how they were created especially since they are so old. I always love how I feel in them in a non-formal setting. Sante Fe is a deeply religious community and churches are bountiful here. We were able to see the oldest church in America, San Miquel, dating back to 1598. The Pilgrims did not build their first church until 22 years later in Jamestown.

The two churches I will tell you about next I thought are really special.

The Cathedral of Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi, built in 1869, took my breath away and moved me to tears with its beauty. The church has recently been restored to all of its glory. We were able to meet the two artists who restored it. They had the help of 40 volunteers – not present.

Thank you gentlemen, magnificent job!

I only wish you could see how detailed the painting is throughout the church.

Loretto Chapel is the church with the inexplicable spiral staircase. The abbreviated version, as much as I can make it that way, goes like this. In 1852, after a horrible journey, the Sisters of Loretto came to Sante Fe from Kentucky to teach and since there was no convent or school for them they had to build one. After they were built they decided to build a chapel and began to build the larger than usual chapel, 25’ x 75’ x 85’ high. This chapel was placed under the patronage of St. Joseph “in whose honor we communicated every Wednesday that he might assist”. The chapel was nearly completed and they realized a dreadful mistake was made. The choir loft was built with no stairs. Due to the loft being so high there wasn’t room to build a traditional staircase. Many carpenters were called – none of which could help. It looked as if there was only two alternatives: use a ladder, which seemed impractical, or tear down the whole thing and rebuild. The Sisters decided to make a novena to St. Joseph to help resolve the problem.

On the last day of the novena a gray haired man came to the convent with only a donkey and a tool chest which consisted of a hammer, a saw, and a T square. He asked the Sisters if he could try to build the staircase. It took 6 to 8 months build the spiral staircase. When the Sisters tried to pay the man, he vanished. They went to the local lumbar yard to pay for the wood and they knew nothing of the wood. To this day there is no record of payment for the job. The staircase makes two complete 360 degree turns, there is no center support pole as most circular stairways have. It hangs with no support. Architects say gravity should make the staircase crash to the floor the minute someone stood on it, yet it is used weekly.

Legend says it was put together using only wooden pegs – not a nail in it. At the time it was built it had no banisters and they were later added. The wood, when the staircase was built, was spliced along the stringers with 9 splices on the outside and 7 on the inside. Each piece perfectly curved. How was this done in the 1870’s by one man with primitive tools? It cannot be done today! The wood has tried to be identified but cannot be specifically identified. It appears to be a “edge grain fir of some sort” but experts all agree the wood is not from New Mexico and is a mystery. The Sisters like to say that their prayers were answered. I like to say miracles do happen.