This was AMAZING!! I loved the cathedral and the staircase was beyond words. If you are a history buff or a spiritual person this is a must see. read more

Loretto Chapel - The mysterious staircase - Churches Near Me - Santa Fe, New Mexico

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This chapel is lovely. It wasn't overly crowded so we sat and took in the ceiling and stained glass. The staircase is a wonder. Remember this isn't a jump up and down entertain u kind of site. It's an introspective quiet kind of place to appreciate simplicity, quiet, beauty and prayer. Besides it's so cheap esp for the beauty you get to experience. I was moved and felt God there. read more

It's $3 and worth every penny. This is a piece of history and something equivalent to what I've seen in Europe. I was surprised to learn that Santa Fe was the home to the Loretto Chapel and had heard about the miraculous staircase before. Going into Santa Fe, I didn't realize that everything is walking distance and practically on top of each other, so it was nice to go from church to church just steps away from the last. The Loretto Chapel was one of them. Interestingly enough, this is privately owned and the family purchased it in order to make sure it stayed standing. I'm so happy they did! The staircase itself is truly a work of art and it was amazing to see how it truly doesn't have anything holding it up. In addition, the quaint church mirrors churches in Europe and the history was very apparent. I'm so happy I took the time to visit and I encourage everyone else to do the same. read more

Beautiful chapel with miraculous staircase. I was intrigued by the beauty, he was intrigued by how it was done. Definitely worth $3 and 5-15 minutes of your time. read more

Whether you are into history, religious buildings or churches, this is a must see if you are traveling through New Mexico. The St. Joseph's staircase is amazing! read more

I never go into a church to get a religious experience. Unless I'm with my mom, it's Christmas, Easter, or sadly, a funeral. So that said, I came here for nothing else but The Stairs. Though I was a bit hesitant to pay the $3 dollars entrance fee, I figured I'd YOLO-it up since I was only spending the night in Santa Fe. The church itself is your typical Spanish mission style church. However, the stairs are, well, impressive. When you go, take your time talking to the receptionist if it's possible and they have time. When I went it was a slow day and the receptionist, or should I say - docent, was nice enough to recap the whole tale for us. The story of the stairs is immersed in Catholic mysticism and who doesn't like a real-life fantastical religious story of a woodworking stranger. Oh, and the kitschy kick to this is that the story of how the stairs were built is played over and over again on loud speakers in the church. read more

Definitely a must see in Santa Fe! The story behind the staircase is amazing, but until you see it in person it's hard to understand just how beautiful this Chapel is. The second I walked through the door I had goosebumps and I was moved to tears. The statues, the stained glass and of course, the staircase were so beautiful. I am so glad I went! read more

Pretty church and the staircase is really cool. I don't know nearly enough about construction to know whether the staircase is as cool as they make it sound, but it is pretty, looks cool and has a good back story. I would recommend it if you are walking around Santa Fe for the day. read more

$3 a person to get in, but it's an amazing thing to check out if you're visiting SF. My wife was not into it as much, but she did admit the staircase is unreal. The chapel itself is beautiful and you won't be disappointed you went! It's in downtown, so you can easily add it to your list of things to hit up when you're walking around the plaza. read more

If the story behind the staircase is real, it's truely amazing. I wish I could go up to the choir loft (or whatever it's called). I was kind of suprised that they were charging to see the inside. read more

Got married here last Sunday and it was such an incredibly beautiful ceremony! Mary and Naomi were awesome - they coordinated the whole thing with grace and ease, and Bishop Darnagan gave the most moving and truly joyous wedding ceremony that I have ever seen. Pictures on the staircase were so special, and the light from the stained glass windows was magical. I would recommend this place to anyone looking for a unique and truly special wedding venue! read more

You got to be into spiral staircases. Or Jesus. Beautiful stained glass, wooden doors and pews, and marble engraving(?) of the last supper. It's hard to take unobstructed pictures of the staircase as pews, columns, and ropes get in the way. Call ahead to make sure the chapel is open for viewing and not hosting a wedding. read more

Although I was initially surprised to see they charged admission to get in, this church was pretty cool. Being an engineer, I could appreciate the construction of the staircase. What made it even more interesting was the story behind it. To be in such an old place with such an interesting story made it really..... well interesting. Good place to get out of the heat and learn about some of Santa Fe's history. The man in the admission booth seemed to be a picture taking "expert" when we asked him to take our picture. Hopefully they don't overcommercialize this place, although I could already see it happening in the gift shop. Still a cool place to go to. read more

This is a must see!! Santa Fe has so many charming cathedrals and churches! This chapel is unique because of the spiral staircase! The story about the staircase is spiritual and fantastic! The chapel is amazingly beautiful. It is small and does not take much time to see. Admission is $3 and it is worth it. It can get busy and crowded but all you do is look around and take pictures, so it is not that big of a deal if it is crowded. Beautiful, charming chapel!! read more

Easy walk from Santa Fe. Still costs $2.50 to go in - which is kinda silly since you could just stick your head in to see the staircase. The rest of the church is nice, but nothing really unusual or amazing when you get down to it. I believe it's a deconsecrated Catholic church that was built by a religious group running a school that eventually closed shop. Although apparently you can still have your wedding there if you rent it out. I am not sure who owns it nowadays, the city or the state or some private concern. Interestingly, all the Stations of the Cross, the altar decorations, and other markings of a Catholic church are in place. Anyway, in terms of the staircase, it's OK. It's well constructed, but beyond that, I can't really say it's a miracle or anything like that. In fact, purporting it to be so smacks of the schmaltzy. But check it (and its attendant touristiness) out for yourself. read more

great place in downtown Santa Fe area to see...it's $3 for entrance a bit much but think of it as donation to the church. you'll want to take a seat here and take a moment to listen to the story or the the story of how the miraculous staircase was built the legend says was constructed or inspired by St. Joseph the Carpenter, was built sometime between 1877 and 1881. It took at least six months to build, and has two 360 degree turns with no visible means of support that's just one version of the story ... then explore it front to back ...floor to ceiling as it have over 200yrs of history and mysteries it's a great place to visit!!! I recommend it for all~ but if you're a thrill seeker there's nothing like that here it's a place of rich history and art work to admire ... during our 40min visit we saw a couple with 3 kids rushed in after paying the fee took 3 pictures then left ... lol read more

What a beautiful, enchanting chapel. You can sit in the pews near the speakers and hear the story about the staircase. They also have a fantastic gift shop. Nice people run this historic site. read more

Cool, but would be better if it were free. It's like 5 min of entertainment.

This was the highlight of our trip! The church is really beautiful! The staircase is definately a miracle, built with no center support,nails or glue. A must see if you are in Santa Fe. The history behind it is very interesting. read more

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Not really worth the $3. The place is tiny and there's nothing "miraculous" about the staircase. I guess the staircase builder built it for free, but you've got to pay to see it. We stood around in the chapel for about a couple minutes and then had to exit through the gift shop. The stained glass is nice. In most European cities, you can walk into about 50 churches (for free) that blow this place away... Perhaps that is why the groups of Europeans in front of us turned around when they saw that you had to pay. read more

Just a beautiful cathedral. The rounded wooden staircase is a gem and just breathtaking.

Beautiful gothic chapel! Something to see.....wish I would have gotten married here!

This place was nice and had great acoustics as we saw a concert here. Unfortunately the logistics of the concert was not so well planned. People kept interrupting because they didn't have a sign outside saying concert. So if you plan on checking out this cool chapel be sure to check the events calendar. read more

$9 for a 5 minute tour? For the 3 of us in our group, it wasn't worth the money. The gift shop was more interesting and I actually got to read the whole miraculous story. read more

Lovely old church. A must see attraction in Santa Fe. Worth the admission fee for the staircase and stained glass windows.

Beautiful chapel, Worth the entrance fee. I believe it was about $3 per person. There is a small gift shop connected to it with lots of beautiful religious memorabilia. Definitely will be back, and can't wait to bring my family. read more

Very tiny church. Immaculately clean, $3 or so cheap entrance fee. The wooden staircase is the "wonder" of this church and is quite impressive. Good place to escape the heat for 10-15 minutes or so. No much else going on though. read more

Beautiful chapel in the heart of Santa Fe, with the famous winding staircase! Now a museum, it is also available for weddings - a perfect venue for an intimate service and fabulous photos. Do yourself a favor and visit during the week - no waiting lines!!! read more

The design and architecture of this chapel is one of the nicest I've seen throughout my travels. Be aware you cannot even touch the staircase, but it's still a wonder to look at. There is no person to guide you, only speakers around the chapel explaining the history of the place. Also keep in mind this is a chapel, so it's small. When I visited on a Saturday morning there weren't very many people so I got lots of great photos. read more

This is the must beautiful gothic style chapel around and very historical and if you're in town don't hesitate to walk-in and see the Miraculous Staircase is just a beyond beauty and amazing and I had never seen anything like it and also they have a very nice shop and make sure you buy the alabaster rosary is just beautiful read more

Beautiful building, but it's a tourist trap. Not worth the $3, and on top of it they have a donation box. It's a church with a spiral staircase. If you want a nice church, go to the cathedral; it's free. read more

A beautiful location and the sweetest cashier who offered herself for questions. A must see for tourists

This is a beautiful Church (Chapel). Based on how many people standing around taking pictures of the stairs, I'd say there are a lot of aspiring woodworkers out there. I earned a living building with wood, but I was taken back with those stairs. I'm not too old to learn from that master builder. If in Santa fe, don't you dare miss it. read more

Very pretty. I was a little annoyed by the 3.00 charge to go in to see the staircase. I am thinking it should be donations or maybe 1.00. I also wish they had a brochure explaining the mystery of the staircase. I googled it and got all the info. The staircase is impressive however and the chapel is pretty. read more

My boyfriend and I attended a Baroque Concert in the Loretto Chapel with Santa Fe Pro Musica (a local group) and a extremely talented Mezzo-soprano during the Christmas Holidays. It was magical and perfect in it's setting. Check the Lensic Performing Arts Center events listing if you are looking for live performances in Santa Fe. It was a lucky find for us. read more

I had to pay $3 to get in and see this "staircase." But it was pretty cool. I just wish it was free.

We stopped here briefly and I was underwhelmed. If you have extra time worth checking out, however not one of my top picks in the plaza

$3 entry, really packed but worth the stop by if you're touring Santa Fe. The chapel is gorgeous, the stair is cool. But it was so hectic and it only too up like 20 minutes. I found it interesting but also not as organized as it could have been read more

Loretto Chapel - Churches Near Me - Santa Fe, New Mexico

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Two stars might be too good for this tourist trap. First, you have to pay $4 pp to get in to a church. Second, we pay, and the man inside the chapel giving the informational talk on the staircase let's three women in front of us in, then slams the door shut literally in our faces without saying a word. And, I mean, he looked us straight in the eye as he did it. We were stunned. We should have known right then. But, we sat down on a bench thinking we needed to wait for the next start up of the presentation. However, a few minutes later two more people come in and the ticket taker tells them go right in. She had seen the guy shut the door in our face and saw us sit down on the bench & never said a word. This is a church?! So, we went in with the other people and sat down to listen to the presenter tell the story of the staircase. His voice was very irritating, and I don't know if the mike was too loud or he just didn't need it because it reverberated in the tiny chapel so that you could only understand every third word. Plus he did that irritating thing of making a reference to "the younger generation that like to look at their phones and google". I hate when people do that and we're not that young. So, then we realized almost everyone in there was a senior and most in some type of tour group. Oh, we made a mistake. The story in the presentation is pretty bogus sounding and he stretches it out way too long. The stair case is now very ugly because at some point they had railing put on it that does not match in any way. Then, getting a picture of anything is a beating because every person in every tour group needs to take a picture of each other person in their group beside everything. You can't exit without going through the gift shop which is full of crappy souvenirs that old people are sucking up like it's gold. The only thing of interest really is the altar that is pretty. But, definitely not worth $4 and the hassle. Save your money and go to the Cathedral Basilica of St Francis of Assisi instead, which is stunning, very informative things in it, and free. read more

THE MOST sacred space in Santa Fe, bar none....so what does the Church do? DE-sacralize it (how does THAT work?), sell it, and NOW it's a tourist attraction...only in America!! Still, that does not detract that much from the beauty and holiness of the place. There IS no 'rational' explanation for how the staircase has hung together. Story is, the nuns prayed and prayed, this guy shows up with a burro, does it in a week, disappears without taking payment. Supposedly it was St. Joseph. Who am I to argue? And, I'd like to steal the status of Christ, and put it in my room...it's THAT holy! Go, pay the three bucks, and enjoy. read more