Basilica of St. Thérèse (Lisieux)
Encyclopedia
The Basilica of St. Thérèse of Lisieux is a Roman Catholic church and minor basilica
dedicated to Saint Thérèse of Lisieux. Located in Lisieux
, France
, the large basilica can accommodate 4,000 people, and, with more than two million visitors a year, is the second largest pilgrimage site in France, after Lourdes
. Pope John Paul II
visited the Basilica on 2 June 1980.
and Lisieux, Bishop Thomas-Paul-Henri Lemonnier, and received the full support of Pope Pius XI
who had placed his pontificate under the sign of St. Therese. Construction started in 1929 and finished in 1954. The basilica is located on a hill at the edge of the city. It was funded entirely by donations and special contributions from several countries from around the world, based on strong devotions to Saint Therese. The basilica thus contains 18 minor altars offered by different nations to St. Therese.
The basilica was blessed on 11 July 1937 by the papal legate Cardinal Pacelli and the future Pope Pius XII
. Works stopped for some time due to the Second World War, but then resumed and the basilica was completed in 1954. The basic structure, which was completed before the war, suffered little damage during the bombing, which destroyed two-thirds of Lisieux. On 11 July 1951, the basilica was consecrated by Most Reverend, the Archbishop of Rouen Joseph-Marie Martin
, with the Papal Legate, Maurice Cardinal Feltin.
In the summer of 1944 the townspeople who remained in Lisieux took refuge in the crypt of the basilica. The Carmelites of Lisieux, including St. Thérèse's two surviving sisters, lived in the crypt of the basilica that summer.
in 1994 and were beatified by Cardinal Saraiva Martins, the Pope's legate, in the Basilica of Saint Thérèse on Mission Sunday, 19 October 2008.
Built in 2000, the chapel of worship is a place for silent prayer. It can be entered through the Crypt. It was offered by the Irish ex-voto to Saint Teresa.
A French postage stamp of the Basilica of Lisieux was issued on 26 September 1960.
Minor basilica
Minor basilica is a title given to some Roman Catholic churches. By canon law no Catholic church can be honoured with the title of basilica unless by apostolic grant or from immemorial custom....
dedicated to Saint Thérèse of Lisieux. Located in Lisieux
Lisieux
Lisieux is a commune in the Calvados department in the Basse-Normandie region in northwestern France.Lisieux is the capital of the Pays d'Auge area, which is characterised by valleys and hedged farmland...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, the large basilica can accommodate 4,000 people, and, with more than two million visitors a year, is the second largest pilgrimage site in France, after Lourdes
Lourdes
Lourdes is a commune in the Hautes-Pyrénées department in the Midi-Pyrénées region in south-western France.Lourdes is a small market town lying in the foothills of the Pyrenees, famous for the Marian apparitions of Our Lady of Lourdes occurred in 1858 to Bernadette Soubirous...
. Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II
Blessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...
visited the Basilica on 2 June 1980.
History
St. Therese of Lisieux was beatified in 1923 and canonised in 1925. It was decided to build a large basilica dedicated to her in the city where she lived and died. The project was launched by the Bishop of BayeuxBayeux
Bayeux is a commune in the Calvados department in Normandy in northwestern France.Bayeux is the home of the Bayeux Tapestry, which depicts the events leading up to the Norman conquest of England.-Administration:Bayeux is a sub-prefecture of Calvados...
and Lisieux, Bishop Thomas-Paul-Henri Lemonnier, and received the full support of Pope Pius XI
Pope Pius XI
Pope Pius XI , born Ambrogio Damiano Achille Ratti, was Pope from 6 February 1922, and sovereign of Vatican City from its creation as an independent state on 11 February 1929 until his death on 10 February 1939...
who had placed his pontificate under the sign of St. Therese. Construction started in 1929 and finished in 1954. The basilica is located on a hill at the edge of the city. It was funded entirely by donations and special contributions from several countries from around the world, based on strong devotions to Saint Therese. The basilica thus contains 18 minor altars offered by different nations to St. Therese.
The basilica was blessed on 11 July 1937 by the papal legate Cardinal Pacelli and the future Pope Pius XII
Pope Pius XII
The Venerable Pope Pius XII , born Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli , reigned as Pope, head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of Vatican City State, from 2 March 1939 until his death in 1958....
. Works stopped for some time due to the Second World War, but then resumed and the basilica was completed in 1954. The basic structure, which was completed before the war, suffered little damage during the bombing, which destroyed two-thirds of Lisieux. On 11 July 1951, the basilica was consecrated by Most Reverend, the Archbishop of Rouen Joseph-Marie Martin
Joseph-Marie Martin
Joseph-Marie-Eugène Martin was a French Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Archbishop of Rouen from 1948 to 1971, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1965.-Biography:...
, with the Papal Legate, Maurice Cardinal Feltin.
Interior
The construction was supervised by three architects from father to son, Cordonnier - Louis Marie, and his son Louis-Stanislas Cordonnier and his grandson Louis Cordonnier. The Roman-Byzantine style of the basilica was inspired by the Sacred Heart Basilica, Paris. The building is in the shape of a Latin cross, with nave, choir and transept. The cross is surmounted by an imposing dome. The internal volume is all in one piece, without collateral or ambulatory aisles. Hence due to the absence of columns, all the faithful who attend mass have an unobstructed view. Most of the interior of the basilica is covered with mosaics.Crypt
Completed in 1932, the crypt evokes the secret of the spiritual life of Saint Thérèse. It is decorated with marble and mosaics representing certain scenes in the life of St. Thérèse: baptism, first communion, miraculous healing, commitment to religious life, death.In the summer of 1944 the townspeople who remained in Lisieux took refuge in the crypt of the basilica. The Carmelites of Lisieux, including St. Thérèse's two surviving sisters, lived in the crypt of the basilica that summer.
Exterior
Built in the 1960s, the bell tower is separated from the main building and situated on the square. It was never completely finished, the priority has been given to charity. It contains 51 bells, or 6 to 45 and fly for carillon (all color). It gives concerts chime twice a day. The carillon, a great-sounding, is among the most beautiful in Europe. The bell was donated by Belgium and Holland in the ex-voto to Saint Teresa.Way of the cross
On the outside, behind the church there is a Way of the Cross where tombs of the parents of Saint Therese, Blessed Marie-Azélie Martin and Blessed Louis Martin were located from 1958 through 2008. The causes for their beatification were introduced in 1957. For the first time in the history of the Church, the two causes were united into one by Pope Paul VI. They were declared venerable by Pope John Paul IIPope John Paul II
Blessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...
in 1994 and were beatified by Cardinal Saraiva Martins, the Pope's legate, in the Basilica of Saint Thérèse on Mission Sunday, 19 October 2008.
Built in 2000, the chapel of worship is a place for silent prayer. It can be entered through the Crypt. It was offered by the Irish ex-voto to Saint Teresa.
Trivia
The basilica was featured in a TV show produced by "Catholic Destinations".A French postage stamp of the Basilica of Lisieux was issued on 26 September 1960.