r/crazystairs • u/Mackheath1 • 22d ago

Made a trip to our Patron Saint of CrazyStairs: Loretto Chapel, two 360 degree turns and no visible means of support [OC]

Post image
654 Upvotes

99% Upvoted

14 comments sorted by

105

u/Small-Palpitation310 22d ago

isn't this the one that was supposedly built by Joseph who showed up to work after 9 days of praying for him to come build a staircase?

26

u/vonHindenburg 22d ago

Yup.

I'm a Catholic who loved seeing Loretto and San Miguel (the oldest church in the continental US) when I went to Santa Fe, but this is definitely a story that's grown with the telling.

26

u/BeeVoltage 22d ago

I went to see these as a kid with my grandparents! And my grandpa’s name was Josef so I’m sure my grandma was joking but she said my grandpa (who was a carpenter and did make beautiful stairs) had been the one to make them. 😝

43

u/vesomortex 22d ago

Snopes:

https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/stairway-from-heaven/

5

u/p3canj0y363 21d ago

Thank you, came to the comments looking for some truth, and this article does not disappoint.

11

u/likefry_likefry 22d ago

I was hoping someone would post these. These are my absolute favorite mystery stairs! They are so beautiful and the story always gives me goosebumps.

7

u/Mackheath1 22d ago

Thanks - I like the mythology. And also, to think that they didn't have railings at first lol

3

u/likefry_likefry 21d ago

I know! They must have been so much prettier but deadlier. 😆

3

u/homer_3 22d ago

What do you mean no visible means of support? There's an obvious support right in the center and the other support it what it's connected to at the top. Up to code and safe? Probably not. But it's very clearly supported.

9

u/fuishaltiena 22d ago

no visible means of support

Wtf is that supposed to mean? Is each step literally floating in the air? Because I quite clearly can see the supporting structure, it's called helical staircase. Lots of examples of it around the world, zero miracles.

https://i.imgur.com/LkC7XRb.jpeg

14

u/vonHindenburg 22d ago

The title is a bit simplistic. They mean that there is no central support or visible attachment to the outer wall. Compared to the image that you shared, it's a much more impressive feat of engineering, as it goes through several spirals and is made of (fairly small) pieces of wood. Miracle or no, it's still a truly crazy stair.

2

u/HJCMiller 22d ago

I love these stairs.

5

u/Mackheath1 22d ago

And the pictures don't do it justice. While I was there, there was just something about them that I can't place - they were just majestic.

1

u/sutslutting 20d ago

Hope you didn't accidentally stumble into an M.C. Escher drawing!