Santa Fe, New Mexico

From my visit to Santa Fe on June 10, 2009. Featuring video of Santa Fe's popular churches and two songs from Brownsville worship leader, Lindell Cooley: "Healing in Your Glory" and "When He Returns". Loretto Chapel: the Miraculous Staircase - as seen on "Unsolved Mysteries", and the Cathedral of Basilica of St. Francis Assisi. The Loretto Chapel 207 Old Santa Fe Trail Santa Fe, NM 87501 (505) 982-0092 http://www.LorettoChapel.com/staircase.html Two mysteries surround the spiral staircase in the Loretto Chapel: the identity of its builder and the physics of its construction. When the Loretto Chapel was completed in 1878, there was no way to access the choir loft twenty-two feet above. Carpenters were called in to address the problem, but they all concluded access to the loft would have to be via ladder as a staircase would interfere with the interior space of the small Chapel. Legend says that to find a solution to the seating problem, the Sisters of the Chapel made a novena to St. Joseph, the patron saint of carpenters. On the ninth and final day of prayer, a man appeared at the Chapel with a donkey and a toolbox looking for work. Months later, the elegant circular staircase was completed, and the carpenter disappeared without pay or thanks. After searching for the man (an ad even ran in the local newspaper) and finding no trace of him, some concluded that he was St. Joseph himself, having come in answer to the sisters' prayers. The stairway's carpenter, whoever he was, built a magnificent structure. The design was innovative for the time and some of the design considerations still perplex experts today. The staircase has two 360 degree turns and no visible means of support. Also, it is said that the staircase was built without nails—only wooden pegs. Questions also surround the number of stair risers relative to the height of the choir loft and about the types of wood and other materials used in the stairway's construction. Over the years many have flocked to the Loretto Chapel to see the Miraculous Staircase. The staircase has been the subject of many articles, TV specials, and movies including "Unsolved Mysteries" and the television movie titled "The Staircase." ___________________________________________________________________________ The Cathedral of Basilica of St. Francis Assisi: The Cathedral Basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi, commonly known as Saint Francis Cathedral, is a Roman Catholic cathedral in downtown Santa Fe, New Mexico. It is the mother church of the Archdiocese of Santa Fe. The cathedral was built by Archbishop Jean Baptiste Lamy between 1869 and 1886 on the site of an older adobe church, La Parroquia (built in 1714-1717). An even earlier church on the same site, built in 1626, had been destroyed in the 1680 Pueblo Revolt. The new cathedral was built around La Parroquia, which was dismantled once construction was complete. A small chapel on the north side of the cathedral is all that remains of the old church. Influenced by the French-born Archbishop Lamy and in dramatic contrast to the surrounding adobe structures, Saint Francis Cathedral was designed in the Romanesque Revival style. As such, the cathedral features characteristic round arches separated by Corinthian columns and truncated square towers. The large rose window in front and those of the Twelve Apostles in the lateral nave windows were imported from Clermont-Ferrand in France. The towers were originally planned to be topped with dramatic 160-foot (49 m) steeples, but due to lack of funds these were never built. The left tower is in fact a single row of bricks taller than the right tower. The cathedral was built from yellow limestone blocks quarried near the present site of Lamy. A 2005 addition to the upper facade of the cathedral is a small, round window featuring the dove of the Holy Spirit. It is a stained glass replica of the translucent alabaster window designed in the 17th Century by Italian Baroque artist Bernini that can be seen in St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City. The Cathedral of Saint Francis of Assisi was officially elevated to a basilica by Pope Benedict XVI on October 4, 2005, becoming the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi. "HEALING IN YOUR GLORY" - LYRICS: Theres healing in Your glory Healing in Your glory Theres healing in Your glory Healing in Your glory Lord, send Your glory! Theres freedom in Your glory Freedom in Your glory (3x) So Lord, send Your glory! Theres power in Your glory Power in Your glory (3x) Lord, send Your glory! Deliverance in Your glory (4x) Lord, send Your glory! Joy in Your Glory (4x) Lord, send Your glory! (6x)