Loretto Chapel

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Santa Fe, NM

The chapel was dedicated as Our Lady of Light in 1878 under the direction of Archbishop Lamy (remember Death Comes for the Archbishop by Willa Cather).  He directed the Architect Projectus Mouly to design it after his beloved Sainte-Chapelle in Paris.  The stone for the Gothic chapel was quarried near the little railroad town of Lamy, NM.  It was not until the chapel was almost finished that the nuns, the Sisters of Loretto, realized that there was no access to the choir loft.  No one was found that could resolve the problem so the nuns began a Novena to St. Joseph and near the end of the 9 days of prayers, a gray-haired carpenter with his tools on his donkey appeared and in a matter of months built the “Miraculous” staircase.  Legend has it that it was St. Joseph himself and although research has identified the builder and the wood used, the legend persists.

The assemblage in the drawer beneath the church is by PJ Cardinale and reflects the beliefs and human connections to the everyday objects of faith. 

Roberto Cardinale and PJ Cardinale

2012

Painted Pine and 22 karat gold leaf

10” Wide x 17” Deep x 21” High