Loretto Chapel Museum

The Loretto Chapel rises with distinct Gothic Revival arches that stand out sharply against the low, flat adobe architecture of downtown Santa Fe. Built in eighteen seventy-eight for the Sisters of Loretto, the chapel features a wooden spiral staircase that defies conventional engineering. The structure makes two complete turns without any central support pillar, held together by wooden pegs instead of nails. When the chapel was finished, it lacked a staircase to the choir loft, prompting the sisters to pray for a carpenter who appeared and vanished.