Basilica of Sainte-Thérèse de Lisieux

Basilica of Sainte-Thérèse de Lisieux is in Lisieux, Normandy, France and is a major French pilgrimage basilica dedicated to St. Thérèse of Lisieux, one of the best-known modern Catholic saints.. Thérèse of Lisieux was beatified in 1923 and canonized in 1925. Construction of the pilgrimage basilica began in 1929, the building was blessed in 1937, and it was consecrated in 1954.

The official tourism authority describes its design as neo-Byzantine in inspiration with Art Deco decoration. A large 20th-century pilgrimage basilica with a domed Neo-Byzantine design and extensive mosaic decoration. Pilgrims come to Lisieux to venerate St. Thérèse and to pray within the devotional tradition associated with her “little way” of spiritual childhood.

Religious life or devotional practice associated with the site includes Mass, prayer, and pilgrimage devotions. The basilica also houses relics connected with Thérèse and her family, including her parents Louis and Zélie Martin in the crypt. Its scale reflects the rapid growth of pilgrimage after Thérèse’s writings, beatification and canonization made Lisieux an international Catholic destination.