The Legend of the Mysterious Staircase
Cette légende, qui continue à être racontée d’une génération à une autre à la veille de Christmas, vient du Nouveau-Mexique aux États-Unis. Son origine remonte déjà à 130 ans et elle attire plus de 250,000 visiteurs chaque année.
It is said that a miracle occurred in the Loretto Chapel during the construction of the staircase leading to the rood screen. The construction of the chapel itself had barely been completed when some nuns realized that they had forgotten to build the staircase that was to connect to the rood screen. Since the church's coffers were empty, the sisters began to pray to Saint Joseph, patron saint of carpenters, to help them find the funds necessary to build the church's interior staircase.
One morning, a stranger knocked on their door and introduced himself as a carpenter. He came to offer to build the missing staircase. For several days, patiently, he began to build the church staircase. When the work was finished, this man left the premises and was never seen again.
What a surprise it was to realize that the staircase in question had no central supports and that no nails or glue had been used in its construction. Nor was it common for a worker to forget to be paid for his labor.
Depuis ce jour, la chapelle est devenue un véritable site de pèlerinage. La rumeur circule que Jesus aurait demandé à St-Joseph de faire profiter cette paroisse de ses talents de charpentier.
Even today, engineers, architects, and scientists are still trying to understand the secret that keeps this staircase so strong and balanced without any supports. Another surprising fact: the wood used for this staircase does not come from any tree growing in the region.
