miraculous staircase

E292393

The miraculous staircase is a legendary, architecturally puzzling wooden spiral staircase in the Loretto Chapel in Santa Fe, New Mexico, famed for its helix design, lack of visible support, and mysterious origins.

All labels observed (1)

Label Occurrences
miraculous staircase canonical 1

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (45)

Predicate Object
instanceOf Catholic devotional site ⓘ
architectural structure ⓘ
tourist attraction ⓘ
wooden spiral staircase ⓘ
architecturalStyle helix spiral staircase ⓘ
associatedWith Catholic Church ⓘ
Loretto Sisters ⓘ
linked to: Sisters of Loreto

Saint Joseph (in Catholic tradition) ⓘ
linked to: Saint Joseph

legend of a mysterious carpenter ⓘ
constructionMethod wooden pegs instead of nails ⓘ
constructionPeriod late 1870s ⓘ
country United States ⓘ
featuredIn popular accounts of unexplained engineering feats ⓘ
travel literature about Santa Fe ⓘ
function connect choir loft to chapel floor ⓘ
hasCulturalStatus local legend of Santa Fe ⓘ
subject of documentaries and articles ⓘ
hasDesignFeature balustrade added later ⓘ
double-helix-like spiral ⓘ
no visible central support column ⓘ
no visible nails in main structure (wooden pegs used) ⓘ
self-supporting structure ⓘ
tight radius spiral ⓘ
two full 360-degree turns ⓘ
hasLegend built by an unknown carpenter who disappeared without payment ⓘ
considered a miraculous answer to the sisters’ novena to Saint Joseph ⓘ
hasReputation architectural puzzle ⓘ
engineering curiosity ⓘ
pilgrimage site for some Catholics ⓘ
height approximately 20 feet ⓘ
locatedIn Loretto Chapel ⓘ
Santa Fe, New Mexico ⓘ
United States ⓘ
material wood ⓘ
notableFor lack of visible means of support ⓘ
precise carpentry without modern tools ⓘ
use of wood species not locally common (as often claimed in legend) ⓘ
numberOfSteps approximately 33 steps ⓘ
ownership Loretto Chapel (privately owned wedding and event venue) ⓘ
linked to: Loretto Chapel
partOf interior of Loretto Chapel ⓘ
religiousSignificance seen by some believers as a miracle ⓘ
safetyModification railing added years after original construction ⓘ
supportType cantilevered design using stringers ⓘ
touristAttractionIn Santa Fe, New Mexico ⓘ
visitorAccess viewable by the public for a fee ⓘ

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (1)

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

Loretto Chapel → notableFor → miraculous staircase ⓘ