Soon after his arrival in Santa Fe in 1851, Father Jean-Baptiste Lamy sent for the Sisters of Loretto to develop a boarding school for girls in 1853. Completed in 1878, Our Lady of Light Loretto Chapel was designed by Projectus Mouly, the same architect Lamy employed to work on the nearby St. Francis Cathedral. Loretto Chapel is a Gothic Revival Style structure, a reminder of Lamy’s homeland in France. Loretto Chapel’s interior is dominated by an unusual spiral staircase leading to the choir loft. In about 1881, an unknown carpenter volunteered to build the circular staircase, which spirals 360 degrees without a central supporting pole. Today, the Loretto Chapel is owned and maintained by the proprietors of the Inn and Spa at Loretto, who operate it as a private museum.
From Old Santa Fe Today, 5th edition by Audra Bellmore with photographs by Simone Frances.
