Loretto Chapel

E60148

Loretto Chapel is a historic 19th-century Catholic chapel in Santa Fe, New Mexico, best known for its mysterious spiral staircase that appears to defy engineering logic.

Jump to: Surface forms Statements Referenced by

Observed surface forms (1)


Statements (47)

Predicate Object
instanceOf Catholic church building
chapel
historic site
tourist attraction
adjacentTo former Loretto Academy site
alsoKnownAs Chapel of Our Lady of Light
architecturalStyle Gothic Revival
surface form: Gothic Revival architecture
associatedLegend carpenter identified as St. Joseph
mysterious unknown carpenter
builtFor Sisters of Loretto at the Foot of the Cross
city Santa Fe, New Mexico
surface form: Santa Fe
completedIn 1878
constructedIn 19th century
country United States of America
currentUse museum
wedding venue
dedicatedTo Our Lady of Light
denomination Roman Catholicism
surface form: Roman Catholic Church
feature Gothic-style altar
choir loft
stained glass windows
wooden spiral staircase
foundedBy Sisters of Loreto
surface form: Sisters of Loretto
hasArchitecturalElement chancel
choir loft accessed by staircase
nave
hasCulturalSignificance American religious folklore
local Catholic community in Santa Fe
hasEngineeringInterest unconventional support structure of staircase
hasHandrailAdded later after original construction (staircase)
hasMaterial stone (chapel structure)
wood (staircase)
hasNumberOfTurns 2 full 360-degree turns (staircase)
hasOwnershipHistory formerly owned by Sisters of Loretto
later sold to private owners
hasTourismCategory architectural tourism
religious tourism
hasTouristAttractionRank one of the notable attractions in Santa Fe
hasVisibleSupport no central support column (staircase)
location Santa Fe, New Mexico
notableFor miraculous staircase
self-supporting spiral staircase
openToPublic yes
originalUse chapel for Loretto Academy
region southwestern United States
surface form: Southwestern United States
religiousAffiliation Catholicism
state New Mexico

Referenced by (4)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

this entity surface form: Loretto Chapel (Miraculous Staircase context within Santa Fe religious complex)
Santa Fe, New Mexico hasLandmark Loretto Chapel
Santa Fe Historic District hasPart Loretto Chapel
Palace of the Governors nearby Loretto Chapel