The Sisters of Loretto in Santa Fe: The Women Behind the Chapel
- History
- Sourced
- Reviewed Nov 2026
Short answer: the Sisters of Loretto are a Catholic order founded in Kentucky in 1812. Four sisters reached Santa Fe on 26 September 1852 at the invitation of Bishop Jean Baptiste Lamy, led by Mother Magdalen Hayden. They opened Our Lady of Light Academy, the first school for young women in the New Mexico Territory, and built the Loretto Chapel for it. The famous staircase was built for their choir loft.
Image above: the Loretto Academy, chapel and convent at Santa Fe, from a 1904 New Mexico handbook. Credit: New Mexico Bureau of Immigration (1904), via Internet Archive, public domain via Wikimedia Commons.
The Sisters of Loretto at a glance
- Founded
- 1812, Kentucky
- Founders
- Mary Rhodes, Ann Havern, Christina Stuart, with Fr. Charles Nerinckx
- Arrived in Santa Fe
- 26 September 1852
- Invited by
- Bishop Jean Baptiste Lamy
- Leader in Santa Fe
- Mother Magdalen Hayden
- School
- Our Lady of Light Academy (“Loretto”), from 1853
- Santa Fe presence
- 1852–1968
- Today
- The Loretto Community, based in Nerinx, Kentucky
The staircase is the reason most people have heard of the Loretto Chapel, but it only exists because of the women who built the chapel. This is a short history of the Sisters of Loretto in Santa Fe: who they were, how they got there and what they built.
Who the Sisters of Loretto are
The order was founded in 1812 in Kentucky by three women, Mary Rhodes, Ann Havern and Christina Stuart, with the support of Fr. Charles Nerinckx, a Belgian missionary priest. They first called themselves the Friends of Mary at the Foot of the Cross, later the Sisters of Loretto at the Foot of the Cross. (Loretto Community history; Wikipedia).
The journey to Santa Fe
In 1852 Jean Baptiste Lamy, the new bishop for New Mexico, recruited sisters in Kentucky to open a school in Santa Fe. The party travelled by river down the Ohio and Mississippi to Independence, Missouri, then overland along the Santa Fe Trail. It was a hard crossing: one sister died and was buried on the trail, and another fell ill and turned back (New Mexico Historic Women).
Four sisters arrived in Santa Fe on 26 September 1852: Mother Magdalen Hayden, Roberta Brown, Rosana Dant and Catherine Mahoney (state historical marker). They were among the earliest women to travel the Santa Fe Trail.
Our Lady of Light Academy
In January 1853 the sisters opened Our Lady of Light Academy, known simply as Loretto. It was the first school for young women in the New Mexico Territory, and, according to New Mexico Historic Women, the first school to have teachers certified for the territory’s public schools (marker; New Mexico Historic Women). In 1896 Lucia Perea became the first native-born New Mexican to serve as superior at Loretto in Santa Fe.
Building the chapel and the staircase
The sisters raised the money for their chapel with help from local people, and it was designed in Gothic Revival style by French architects Antoine and Projectus Mouly. It was substantially complete by April 1878 (SAH Archipedia). The choir loft had no stair, and the sisters’ search for a solution produced both the legend of the mysterious carpenter and the staircase itself. See the St. Joseph legend and who built the staircase.
Leaving Santa Fe
The academy closed in 1968, ending 116 years of the sisters’ work in Santa Fe. According to the chapel, the sisters offered the property to the archdiocese, which declined; the chapel was then deconsecrated and sold to private owners, who now run it as a museum and wedding chapel (Loretto Chapel).
The order today
The order continues as the Loretto Community, made up of the Sisters of Loretto and Loretto Co-members, lay people who share the mission without taking vows. Its motherhouse is in Nerinx, Kentucky, and it describes its mission as working “for justice” and acting “for peace” (Loretto Community). The Loretto Community no longer owns the chapel.
Quick answers
Who are the Sisters of Loretto?
A Catholic religious order founded in Kentucky in 1812 by Mary Rhodes, Ann Havern and Christina Stuart, with Fr. Charles Nerinckx.
When did the Sisters of Loretto come to Santa Fe?
Four sisters arrived on 26 September 1852, invited by Bishop Jean Baptiste Lamy and led by Mother Magdalen Hayden.
What school did the Sisters of Loretto run in Santa Fe?
Our Lady of Light Academy, known as Loretto, opened in 1853. It was the first school for young women in the New Mexico Territory.
Do the Sisters of Loretto still own the Loretto Chapel?
No. After the academy closed in 1968 the chapel was sold to private owners.
Do the Sisters of Loretto still exist?
Yes, as the Loretto Community, with its motherhouse in Nerinx, Kentucky.
Sources
- Loretto Community, “Our History”.
- New Mexico Historic Women, “Mother Magdalen and the Sisters of Loretto”, 2023.
- Historical Marker Database, “Mother Magdalen and the Sisters of Loretto (1852–1968)”, NM Historic Preservation Division marker 574.
- Wikipedia, “Sisters of Loretto”.
- SAH Archipedia, “Loretto Chapel”.
- Loretto Chapel, “Visit Us”.
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Researched & fact-checked by the Loretto Volunteers Editorial Team
Loretto Volunteers is an independent research project documenting the history, architecture, and enduring mystery of the Loretto Chapel staircase. We work from primary and archival sources and show our evidence. Last reviewed: June 2026.
