DAY #4 – WEDNESDAY – JULY 5, 2023
SANTA
FE, NM
6 – MILES / 1,580 – TOTAL MILES
Today is the only day of this adventure that we will not be moving. We will be spending the entire day here in New Mexico’s Capitol City. We are staying at the Hilton Hotel, right in the historic district and in our hotel packet we received a voucher for a free Buffet breakfast.
While our hotel is in Santa Fe’s Historic District and it is just a short two or three block walk to the Plaza and the Palace of the Governors, our guide decided that because of the heat and higher altitude it would be easy for us to get back on the bus and ride to the plaza rather than walking.
During the short ride we are joined by a local guide who will spend the next 3-4 hours with us, pointing out the many historic sites and points of interest. We began our tour in the Plaza. Like most Spanish cities, the Plaza is the city square where locals gather for various festivals, markets, and cultural events. It is also a site for protesters to gather.
Adjacent to the Plaza is the Palace of the Governors that dates to about 1610. The adobe structure served as the seat of New Mexico Government for centuries. Today, the Palace is preserved as a museum with local arts and craft vendors allowed to sell the wares under the covered veranda that surrounds the building.
Just a short walk from the Palace and the Plaza is one of the sites that is on my Bucket List. The Loretto Chapel is known for its miraculous staircase which is something that I have always wanted to seen since I first heard about it when Charles Kuralt visited for one of his On the Road Features.
The Chapel was commissioned by the sisters of Loretto for their girls' school, Loretto Academy, in 1873. Archbishop Jean-Baptiste Lamy had brought in two French architects, Antoine Mouly and his son Projectus, to work on the St. Francis Cathedral project, and suggested that the Sisters could make use of their services on the side to build a much-needed chapel for the academy. The stained-glass windows were imported from France by way of the Santa Fe Trail. The chapel was built from locally quarried sandstone and took five years to complete, being officially consecrated in 1878. Loretto Chapel was used daily by the students and nuns of Loretto Academy until the school closed in 1968. Today the rest of the Academy was demolished, but the beautiful Chapel survives and is a privately owned museum and is a popular wedding venue.
The Loretto Chapel is best known for it “miraculous staircase,” which rises 20-feet from the sanctuary to the choir loft. The beautiful spiral staircase is built out of wood without any visible means of support. There is no central pole, and the staircase is held together with handmade wooden pegs.
Another unusual feature of the staircase is that the wood used was a type of spruce that is not native to New Mexico. There are 33 stairs in the staircase, which is the same as the age of Jesus Christ at the time of his death.
According to legend when the chapel was completed the sisters discovered that there was no way to access the choir loft. Because of the small, confined quarters the sisters could not find anyone who could offer a solution other than using a ladder.
In response to their dilemma the sisters prayed for nine straight days. On the 9th day a mysterious stranger appeared and offered to build the staircase. The stranger worked quietly and alone using only a few simple tools.
For several months the stranger worked tirelessly. Then one morning the sisters arrived to find the staircase complete, and the stranger gone without collecting any pay. The stranger was never seen again, and his identity remains unknown. However, the sisters claim because they prayed to St. Joseph who was the patron saint of Carpenters it was St. Joseph himself who came to them and built the miraculous staircase. Seeing the Chapel and the Miraculous Staircase was amazing and was worth the $5 admission fee.
After leaving Loretto Chapel our local guide, who was named Peter, by the way, walked us around more of Santa Fe, pointing out historical sites, museums and of course places to eat. Just a few minutes before noon, Peter left us and we were free to explore Santa Fe for the rest of the day.
After lunch I walked up to the San Miguel Chapel which is the Oldest Church in the United States. The church was originally built in 1610. Part of the church was damaged during the Pueblo Revolt in 1710 and a large part of the original church had to be rebuilt.
Just walking to such a historic building was so awesome. But when I was able see the foundation and step of the 1610 building was totally unexpected and amazing. San Miguel Chapel was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1968
built between 1869 and 1886 by Archbishop Jean Baptiste Lamy on the site of the original adobe church that was built in 1826 and destroyed in the Pueblo Revolt of 1680. The small chapel on the north side of the cathedral was kept from the original church. The Cathedral was listed on the National Register of Historic Place in 1973.
After finishing my visit to the St. Francis Cathedral, I decided to make the half mile walk over to the New Mexico State Capitol. I did make a quick stop along the way and bought a large cold drink from one of the street vendor. I must say it did hit the spot.
The New Mexico State Capitol is one of 11 United States Capitols without a dome and is the only circular state capitol building. It was constructed between 1964 and 1966 and is one of our country’s newest capitol buildings. Only Hawaii and Florida have newer Capitol Buildings.
Over the Years New Mexico had four territorial capitols including the Palace of Governors which was built in 1610. This makes Santa Fe the Oldest Capitol City in the United States.
The Rotunda at the center of the building is 49 feet in diameter and 60-feet high. The seal of the Great State of New Mexico is inlaid in the rotunda floor. Even without a dome the stained-glass skylight above the rotunda is impressive.
I spent about an hour visiting the Capitol and managed to get my capitol passport stamp before Leaving.
After finishing my visit to the capitol, I walked back to the plaza where I stopped and visited with a few other members of our group. I decided to take a break and start making my way back to the hotel just a few blocks away.
On the way back to the hotel I stop at Haagen-Dazs Ice Cream Shop on San Francisco Street for a couple of scoops of Ice Cream and a cold drink. That cost me almost $10 and was worth every penny.
Back at the Hotel I took a break in my room. I checked my Fitbit, and it shows that I have walked a little over 5-miles. Before leaving on this trip, I was having some big problems with my knee and went to the doctor and got cortisone shots in both knees. So far, they have really helped. I have had absolutely no problems with my knees.
After taking a two-hour
break, I decided to walk back down toward the plaza and see if I could find anything
for supper. On the way back down San
Francisco Street, I happened upon a historical marker affixed to the side of a building.
The building was where Billy the Kid was captured and held in Jail for several months in late 1880 and early 1881. The plaque reads:
I am constantly amazed at what I can find by just walking around. I didn’t have any luck finding supper around the plaza. I eventually returned to the hotel and had supper in the Hotel restaurant with a few other members of our group.
Tomorrow this adventure kicks into high gear as we say goodbye to Santa Fe and New Mexico and head toward Canon City Colorado.
No comments:
Post a Comment