Saint Therese of Lisieux: A Gateway

icon of St. Therese of Lisieux by Joan Cole, available at Trinity Icon Stores

 Shrine of Sainte-Thérèse of Lisieux  

In 1898, the publication of Histoire d'une âme made the young nun from Lisieux, who had died a year earlier, better known. Thanks to this publication in French, and then very quickly in many other languages, the message of Thérèse of Lisieux went out to conquer the world. At the same time, pilgrims flocked to the Lisieux cemetery, and the small size of the Carmelite chapel required the construction of another building.

The idea gained ground, and, in 1925, at the time of the canonization of Saint Thérèse, the project of a basilica was born. The architect Louis-Marie Cordonnier was chosen in 1927; the structural work lasted from 1929 to 1939, mobilizing 400 workers and engineers all week long on the hill overlooking Lisieux. In 1937, the Basilica was blessed by the legate of Pope Pius XI, Cardinal Pacelli, the future Pope Pius XII.

After the 1944 bombings, which spared the newly built Basilica, work began again. The Basilica was consecrated in 1954.

Pilgrimage in the footsteps of the saints of Lisieux

From 1897 to the present day, pilgrims and visitors from all over the world have flocked to Lisieux to follow in the footsteps of Thérèse of Lisieux, who had come to join them in their lives and in their daily concerns. They visit in turn the Basilica, the Carmelite monastery, the "Buissonnets" (the family home of Saint Thérèse), and the Cathedral of St. Pierre.

The image of Saint Thérèse, present on the five continents in the most remote chapels as well as in the greatest cathedrals, allows us to make a diversion to the Basilica of Lisieux, erected in the “pays d’Auge” in her honour in the 20th century, where there is a significant reliquary. The recumbent statue, of Thérèse, otherwise known as a shrine, can be seen in the chapel of the Carmel in the city center, where Sister Thérèse of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face spent the nine years of her religious life. Finally, the walk to the Buissonnets house, inhabited by Louis Martin and his five daughters in November 1877 after the death of his wife, allows us to measure the youth of Thérèse from the age of 4 to 15.

Since 19 October 2008, the Basilica of Lisieux has contained the shrine with the bodies of Louis and Zélie Martin, declared saints by Pope Francis on 18 October 2015. This recognition thus offers Lisieux the presence of three saints from the same family.

Today, the various places of the Shrine of Lisieux receive more than one million people a year. The reputation of the Shrine of Lisieux places it second only to Lourdes as a shrine in France.

Visitors come from all five continents: America (United States, Brazil, Canada, etc.); Europe (Italy, Belgium, Germany, Great Britain, Poland, Spain, etc.); Asia (the Philippines, Hong Kong, China, South Korea, India, etc.); Africa (the Ivory Coast, Cameroon, Senegal, etc.); and Oceania (Australia, New Zealand).

[To learn more about the work of the Shrine at Lisieux, visit its English Web site at https://www.therese-de-lisieux.catholique.fr/en/]

This article is excerpted from a press release published on the Web site of the Shrine at Lisieux (https://www.therese-de-lisieux.catholique.fr).  I reproduce it here with fervent thanks to the Shrine at Lisieux, the Shrine at Alencon, UNESCO, and all their partners in celebrating this worldwide honor done to Therese].  Look for more information about the universal significance of this award in the days to come.