A visit in the footsteps of Saint Therese in Lisieux

A visit to the basilica, the house where Saint Theresa lived and the carmel in Lisieux. The visit must be done by car because the places are far from each other.

The visit presents different places of Saint Therese's life in the city of Lisieux and the basilica that was dedicated to her after her death.

This young girl was born into a very pious family, entered the orders at the age of fifteen and died at twenty-four. On the day of her funeral, surrounded only by her family, a nun said: "There was nothing to say about her; she was very kind and very self-effacing, she was never noticed, I would never have suspected her holiness. It was her writings that made her famous a little later. Miracles and healings would then occur at her tomb, which would lead to her canonization.

\But above all, I feel that my mission is about to begin, my mission to make people love the good God as I love Him, to give my little way to souls. If the good Lord grants my wishes, my Heaven will be spent on earth until the end of the world. Yes, I want to spend my Heaven doing good on earth" (CJ 17.7)

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Difficulty: difficulty
Duration: 4 h.
Departure point (Google Maps)

The house of the Buissonnets

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The house of the Buissonnets
The house of Les Buissonnets is a house in which Saint Therese lived. It is not the house where she was born, but it can be visited. The visit is free, the house is not very big.

The park of the Buissonnets house

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The park of the Buissonnets house
A statue in the park showing Saint Theresa asking her father for permission to enter religious life, she was only fifteen years old!

The Carmel

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The Carmel
In a small chapel are stored the remains of the Saint.

The exterior of the carmel

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The exterior of the carmel
Therese entered the Carmelite convent at the age of fifteen. The visit to the Carmel is free and quite short. In one room you can see objects that belonged to the Saint.

The basilica seen from the side

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The basilica seen from the side
There is a way of the cross a little higher.

The square in front of the basilica

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The square in front of the basilica
The Basilica is easily accessible by car and large parking lots make it easy to find a place just a few steps from the entrance to the Basilica.

The interior of the basilica

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The interior of the basilica
As soon as you enter the basilica, what immediately catches your eye is its great width and magnificent colours. In fact, we're more used to seeing large stone Gothic cathedrals, which are often narrow but very tall. The basilica therefore offers an impressive contrast to this more classical model, highlighting its singularity and unique beauty.

The entrance to the basilica

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The entrance to the basilica
Above the entrance there is a photo of the parents of Saint Theresa.

The basilica

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The basilica
Inside the Basilica, panels recall the short life of Saint Teresa. She died at the age of 24 of tuberculosis.

The reliquary of the parents of Saint Theresa

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The reliquary of the parents of Saint Theresa
Saint Thérèse's parents, Louis and Zélie Martin, are considered blessed, which is a lesser title than saint. They had nine children, but sadly four died in infancy. The five remaining daughters all embraced religious life.

General view of the basilica

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General view of the basilica
St. Teresa was canonized in 1925 and the decision to build the basilica was made in September 1927. Construction proceeded at an accelerated pace and on July 11, 1937 the basilica was solemnly blessed.

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