An accomplished classical guitarist living in Santa Fe, NM, Robert Sequoia has made five compact discs and played scores of concerts. One of Robert Sequoia’s favorite venues is the Loretto Chapel in Santa Fe, NM.
This Roman Catholic church began as a school for girls in 1850. The architect laid out a Gothic structure that commanded attention among the surrounding adobe houses. He died before he could design a way for singers to reach the choir loft.
Building a conventional staircase would drastically cut seating in the chapel. Lacking a solution, the sisters, so the story goes, prayed for nine days for a miracle.
On the last day, a carpenter appeared, bearing only a hammer and a squaring tool. He built a structure known today as the Miraculous Staircase, using only wooden pegs and a kind of wood not found in the Southwest. He apparently left without asking for payment. When they could not find a receipt for the materials so they could pay the carpenter back, it was considered an act of God.
The 20-foot-tall staircase forms a spiral that makes two 360-degree turns. It has no central pole for support - the bottom step supports all the structure's weight. This lack of visible support lends an air of mystery, but a more prosaic explanations lies in the design of the stringers attached to the steps.
Even without a supernatural intervention, it is an impressive example of craftsmanship. The stairs have been closed since the 1970s, ostensibly to meet the fire code but more likely from overuse. However, brides and grooms may still pose for photographs on the lower ten steps.
No comments:
Post a Comment