The Loretto Chapel in Santa Fé, New Mexico attracts around 250,000 visitors annually due to its mysterious "miraculous" staircase. When the chapel was completed in the 19th century, it lacked a staircase to access the second level. After nine days of prayer, a stranger arrived and constructed an elegant winding staircase without any visible means of support. The staircase was built using an unknown wood type, in just one day, without nails or glue. To this day, engineers cannot explain how the staircase remains standing without a central support beam. This has led many to believe the carpenter was Saint Joseph answering the nuns' prayers.

1. City of Santa Fé, in New Mexico,
USA.
A mystery of over 130 years and
attracting around 250 thousand
visitors every year. Point of
attention : Loretto Chapel

2. What makes this chapel different
from all others is that the subject of
the supposed miracle that took place
in it is a Staircase

3. A chapel was constructed
somewhere in hte 19th century.
When it was ready, the nuns found
that there was no staircase built to
take them to the top level

4. They spent 9 days praying to St.
Joseph, who was a carpenter.

5. On the last day, a stranger knocked
at their door and said that he was a
carpenter who could help them build
the staircase.

6. He constructed the
staircase, all by himself,
which was considered to
be the pride of
carpentery.

7. None knew how the staircase
could stand by itself as it did not
have a central support.

8. Then the carpenter, who did not use
a single nail or glue to construct this
staircase, disappeared without even
waiting for his payment.

9. There was a rumour in the city of
Santa Fé, that the carpenter was
St. Joseph himself ...

10. ...sent by Jesus Christ to attend
to the nuns’ problem. Since then,
the staircase was known to be
called “miraculous” and turned
out to be the site for pilgrimage.

11. There are 3 mysteries in this
case, says the spokesman of the
chapel : the 1st mystery is that,
until today, the identity of this
man is not known.

12. The second mystery – all the
architects, engineers and
scientists say that they cannot
understand how this staircase
can balance without any
central support.

13. And the 3rd mystery – from where
did the wood come? They have
checked and found out that the type
of wood used to build the staircase
does not exist in the entire region

14. There is another detail that has
just increased the belief in the
supposed miracle : The staircase
has 33 steps, the age of Jesus
Christ.
M. Gallo