Loretto Chapel and the Miraculous Staircase
Chapel built 1873-1878 Feast, March 19 (St. Joseph)
Loretto Chapel is a small Gothic Revival chapel in downtown Santa Fe, built by the Sisters of Loretto and finished in 1878. It is famous for a spiral wooden staircase to the choir loft that turns twice with no center post, and for a popular tradition that St. Joseph himself built it.
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Plan your own visit How long to stay, how to get there, what to see, and what to bring. Travel guideWhat happened here
The Story
The Sisters of Loretto came to Santa Fe in 1852 to open a girls' school. Twenty years later they commissioned a chapel of their own, and Archbishop Jean-Baptiste Lamy sent them the French builders Antoine and Projectus Mouly, who modeled it loosely on the Sainte-Chapelle in Paris. Built of local sandstone on a narrow lot, with stained glass ordered from workshops in Clermont-Ferrand and Paris, the chapel was completed in 1878.
The choir loft sits about twenty feet above the nave, and the chapel was finished without a stair to reach it. What was eventually built is a helix of thirty-three steps making two full turns, assembled with wooden pegs rather than nails, resting on its own stringers rather than a central pole. Visitors have been struck by it for nearly 150 years. The devotional tradition, told by the sisters themselves, is that they made a nine-day novena to St. Joseph, that an unknown gray-bearded carpenter arrived with a donkey and a few simple tools, worked quietly for months, and left without pay or a name.
That story is beloved, but it is a tradition rather than an established fact. The historian Mary Jean Straw Cook proposed that the builder was Francois-Jean Rochas, a French-born carpenter whose 1895 obituary in the Santa Fe New Mexican credited him with building the Loretto staircase and who appears in the sisters' ledgers. Structural engineers have explained the design as an inner stringer acting as a slender wooden column -- unusual craftsmanship rather than an impossibility. A claim that the wood matches no known species of spruce circulates widely but has never been independently confirmed.
Today a visitor walks into a quiet, jewel-box interior, sees the staircase roped off at its base, and reads the story on the panels around it.
How to read this account
Church Recognition
The Catholic Church has never investigated or declared the Loretto staircase a miracle. There is no diocesan inquiry, no decree from the Archdiocese of Santa Fe, and no Vatican judgment attached to it. What exists is a devotional tradition preserved by the Sisters of Loretto and popularized in the twentieth century by books, magazine articles, and a 1998 television film. Catholics are free to find the story moving; no one is asked to believe it as a matter of faith.
The chapel's standing is also often misunderstood. Loretto Academy closed in 1968, the property was sold, and the chapel was deconsecrated. It is no longer a Catholic church. It is privately owned and operated as a museum and wedding venue beside the Inn and Spa at Loretto. Mass is not celebrated there as a parish church, the Blessed Sacrament is not reserved there, and admission is charged. Come expecting a historic building and a good story, not an active shrine.
Catholic Teaching
Loretto is a useful place to think about how the Church treats claims of the miraculous. Catholic teaching holds that God can and does act in the world, and it insists on careful investigation before anything is called a miracle -- precisely because devotion built on an unproven claim is fragile. The Church honors St. Joseph as the just man, the foster father of Jesus, patron of workers and of the universal Church, and a powerful intercessor, and none of that depends on whether he personally cut these stair treads. If the staircase was made by a skilled immigrant carpenter who answered a need and moved on, that is itself a picture of the hidden, patient labor the Church praises in St. Joseph.
Go Deeper
Mary Jean Straw Cook, Loretto: The Sisters and Their Santa Fe Chapel, is the standard documentary account and the source of the Rochas attribution.
The Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi, an active Catholic church and the seat of the Archdiocese of Santa Fe, is a block away and worth pairing with a visit here. El Santuario de Chimayo, one of the most visited pilgrimage sites in the United States, is about thirty miles north.
Useful before you go
Plan Your Visit
The Pilgrim’s Quick Card
- Ideal stay
- Half Day Allow 2-4 hours for the church, chapels, and prayer
- Best months
- Apr-Jun & Sep-Oct Usually the best balance of weather and crowds
- Nearest airport
- Albuquerque (ABQ) More flights than Santa Fe Regional
- Language & currency
- English · U.S. dollar (USD) English availability varies; major shrines often assist
- Feast day
- March 19 (St. Joseph)
- Accessibility
- Good Main shrine areas are generally manageable; verify locally
Plan the trip
How Long Should I Stay?
Half Day is a practical amount of time for Loretto Chapel and the Miraculous Staircase. Allow 2-4 hours for the church, chapels, and prayer.
- Minimum: Half Day for the principal shrine or church and personal prayer.
- Recommended: Half Day so you can include Mass, the main devotional focus, and time to explore without rushing.
- Extended stay: Add a second day for a slower pace and nearby sacred sites.
Pilgrim Tip: Leave at least one unscheduled block for quiet prayer; pilgrimage sites often become most meaningful after the checklist is finished.
Best Time to Visit
Spring and fall bring mild weather and lighter downtown crowds than midsummer, and mornings are generally quieter than afternoons. The chapel hosts private weddings and concerts, which can close it to visitors on short notice, so check the schedule the day you plan to go.
Getting There From the United States
The chapel is in downtown Santa Fe, roughly one block south of the Plaza on Old Santa Fe Trail, on the grounds beside the Inn and Spa at Loretto. It is an easy walk from the Plaza, the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi, and most downtown hotels. Downtown parking is metered and limited; the nearby public garages are simpler. The nearest major airport is Albuquerque International Sunport, about an hour's drive south.
On the ground
Getting Around
You generally do not need a car once you are near Loretto Chapel and the Miraculous Staircase. The sacred site and its immediate historic center can usually be explored on foot, with local buses or taxis available for longer transfers.
A rental car is most useful if this stop is part of a wider regional pilgrimage.
Good to Know: Historic districts may restrict traffic or have limited parking, so check your lodging's arrival instructions in advance.
Where to Stay
Choose lodging in the most walkable part of Santa Fe, New Mexico, ideally within a short walk or simple transit ride of Loretto Chapel and the Miraculous Staircase. That makes it easier to attend Mass and return for prayer without losing time in traffic.
Best For Pilgrims
- Historic-center lodging near the church or shrine
- Religious guesthouses when available
- Hotels near a major transit stop
- Accessible lodging if your group has mobility needs
Pilgrim Tip: Check the actual walking route, not just the map distance; old cities can include steep streets, stairs, or cobblestones.
Accessibility
The chapel is a single-level historic space and the nave floor is reached without stairs. The staircase itself is roped off and is not climbed by visitors, so seeing it does not require climbing. Confirm current entrance and restroom accessibility with the chapel before visiting.
What to do
Most Important Things to Do
Begin at the Main Shrine
The main pilgrimage experience is the sacred church or shrine at Loretto Chapel and the Miraculous Staircase.
Allow: 30-60 minutes for prayer before moving through the rest of the site.
Attend Mass
If Mass is offered during your visit, make it the center of the pilgrimage rather than an add-on. Check the official shrine or parish schedule shortly before traveling.
Understand the Devotion
Notice the principal altar, chapels, sacred art, relics, or devotional image that gives the shrine its identity.
Explore the Church and Grounds
Look for the principal chapel, altar, crypt, museum, gardens, historic rooms, or pilgrimage route connected with the site. Allow another 45-90 minutes where available.
Pilgrim Tip: Arrive early or stay later than large tour groups when possible; the atmosphere is often much quieter.
Suggested Pilgrimage Itinerary
Half-Day Pilgrimage
- Begin at Loretto Chapel and the Miraculous Staircase and spend time in quiet prayer.
- Attend Mass if the schedule aligns with your visit.
- Visit the principal shrine, tomb, relic, apparition site, or historic chapel.
- Go to Confession when available.
- Finish with another short period of prayer before leaving.
Have more time? Add other churches and sacred sites in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Mass, Confession & Prayer
Mass is normally the best anchor for the visit. Depending on the shrine, pilgrims may also find Confession, Rosary, Eucharistic Adoration, processions, blessings, or seasonal devotions.
Use the current schedule provided by the shrine, parish, diocese, or religious community shortly before visiting.
Pilgrim Tip: Avoid building your itinerary around an old fixed Mass time. Liturgical schedules can change seasonally and on feast days.
Practical
What to Bring
Pilgrimage Essentials
- Rosary
- Small Bible or prayer book
- Written prayer intentions
- Journal and pen
- Reusable water bottle
Practical Items
- Comfortable walking shoes
- Small backpack
- Portable phone charger
- Modest clothing for churches
- Payment card plus a small amount of U.S. dollar (USD)
Pilgrim Tip: Pack lightly enough that you can spend the day walking and praying without managing unnecessary gear.
Before You Go
Loretto Chapel is privately owned and is no longer a consecrated Catholic church. Admission is charged, Mass is not celebrated there as a parish, and the Blessed Sacrament is not reserved. For Mass in Santa Fe, the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi is a block away.
Additional Information
Official Information
Check the shrine, parish, diocese, or custodian's official website for current opening hours, liturgies, closures, and pilgrimage notices.
Currency
United States uses U.S. dollar (USD). Carry a payment card plus a small amount of local cash for offerings, small cafés, or local transport.
Local Language
English is the principal language for this destination. English availability varies, but major international shrines often have multilingual staff or printed material.
Religious Etiquette
Dress respectfully, silence phones during prayer and Mass, avoid photographing worshippers at close range, and follow any local rules around relics, tombs, confessionals, or restricted chapels.
Pilgrim travel note: Mass times, opening hours, costs, accessibility, and local conditions can change. Please confirm important details directly with the shrine and your providers before you travel. Travel Disclaimer
Travel with a group
Prefer to travel with a group?
No guided pilgrimages that include Loretto Chapel and the Miraculous Staircase are listed yet. Many parishes and dioceses organize their own trips, so ask at yours.
Information & sources
Mass times, admission and travel requirements change. Confirm them with the official source before you visit.
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