Loretto Volunteers is an independent research project about one thing: the Loretto Chapel in Santa Fe, and the spiral staircase at its heart — the wooden helix that climbs to the choir loft with no central pole holding it up. The story has been retold loosely for a century. We work from primary and archival sources to sort what’s established from what’s disputed, and to say plainly which is which.
Start here
The complete field guide: story, mystery, and facts, with an interactive helix diagram and a master spec table.
The engineering, plainly: two helical stringers, a tight inner “almost-pole,” and why it doesn’t need a column.
The legend’s stranger versus the historian’s answer: the French carpenter “Frenchy” Rochas.
Every popular claim set against the evidence, weighed one by one — and the Easley paradox at the centre.
Spruce, “Loretto Spruce,” or ash? A truth-table that sorts the claim from the error.
Hours, tickets, and what to expect — with a reminder to confirm the current details before you go.