Loretto Chapel in Santa Fe, New Mexico, was built for the Sisters of Loretto and Loretto Academy as a former Roman Catholic church designed in Gothic Revival style by Projectus Mouly after its commissioning in 1873. Constructed of local sandstone with French stained glass, it was completed in 1878 and later became a museum and wedding chapel. Its renown centers on the wooden spiral staircase to the choir loft, a 20-foot, two-turn helix built mostly with wooden pegs and long admired as an extraordinary feat of carpentry. A story cherished by the sisters cast its unknown builder as miraculous, and that legend helped make the chapel a lasting Santa Fe landmark.

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Santa Fe, New Mexico · USA