This building was awe inspiring. The art, the massiveness, the beauty of it all was awesome. Yes, as some reviewers pointed out, there is a lot of kitsch but, all that notwithstanding, we enjoyed the small crowd and the incredible beauty and peacefulness of the place. Definitely worth the visit.
This was our 2nd visit to visit the Sanctuarie of St Therese as our first visit in 2013 was rather short. We were captivated by the spiritual experience in the basilica and its surroundings. It is a wonderful feeling as the basilica is so serene and peaceful and you can feel that St Therese is with you when you are praying & mediating.The Crypte is also well maintained and masses are organized privately for pilgrims inside the Crypte. There is also a museum in the next building with a bookshop for sale of souvenir items of St Therese with lift access from the upper level.
Even viewing from a distance this is beautiful building and absolutely huge. If it is as spectular inside as it was from the outside it will be breathtaking
What a vast, breathtaking structure......the inside was incredibly beautiful, even my atheist husband was blown away by the interior depicting the most amazing paintings and memorials to St Teresa. We were extremely surprised that, being a Sunday, we were there at the right time to participate in mass!
It's #1 and it tells all. We enjoyed visiting this Basilica and even Celebrated Mass whilst there in 2011.The Mosaics are outstanding. The Recessed Altars are well positioned for a quieter mediation. Saint Therese of Lisieux...The Little Flower.
Church is huge, with interesting mosaics. We went on a tour which included this site. Could not be less interested in Saints so was just there to see the building which is impressive. It is a virtualy disneyland to St. Therese with bookshop, t shirts, coffee mugs, candles and all sorts of religious junk to buy. Must make a fortune for them.
We went to Lisieux to visit my uncles grave at the military section of the local cemetery, they are all lined viewing this basilica and it looks a beautiful site, so we went to visit. What a stunning church, so much has gone into the building and layout, the tourist centre just outside gives translations in almost any language and I found it very interesting and the whole of the interior very moving, this is well worth a visit.
St. Thérèse, the little flower of Lisieux. We love when old postcards lead us on adventures to new Normandy places, but sometimes it is nice to pick up a picture of somewhere familiar. This card was found in an old wooden box at a street brocante on a showery April day. Its smudges of colour instantly proclaim the crypt of the Basilica of St. Thérèse of Lisieux. Possibly the most beautiful crypt ever built.Decorated with mosaic flowers, it is easy to see the crypt was designed with a young girl in mind. The girl was Thérèse Martin and like the fresh colours of the mosaic, the memory of her remarkable, short life will never fade.For Thérèse, who entered the Carmelite convent in Lisieux age 15 in 1888, was canonized by Pope Pius XI on May 17 1925. Had she lived she would have been 52 years old when she was declared a Saint. Tragically Thérèse died age just 24 on 30 September 1897, after years of struggle with tuberculosis.What could a young girl have done to reach such an exalted state? Did she perform a miracle? Did she see angels in Lisieux? Well sort of and more of that soon.First a proper introduction to a little Normandy girl called Thérèse who was not extraordinary and certainly showed no early signs of sainthood - more here:http://www.normandythenandnow.com/st-therese-the-little-flower-of-lisieux/Oh and yes even if you are not particularly religious and avoid churches do visit, the Basilica is one of the wonders of the world, the mosaics will knock your socks off!
I've beenin her house and in the sanctuaire, the basilique is breathtaking, the inside and the outside are so clean and beautiful , st therese pray for us and all those who needs prayers..
We went to Lisieux to visit the Basilica of St Therese which is an important pilgrimage site after Lourdes in France. The basilica has so much history of St Therese and the environment and its surroundings were both breathtaking and serene. There was not too much crowd when we arrived in the afternoon and we managed to walk through the holy site. The church was first constructed in 1929, blessed in 1937 and went through the world war II with some damages, but the main part of the dome was not hit by the allied bombs.....although Lisieux was badly hit. It was a miracle that the holy sit suffered minor damages.The basilica was consecrated in 1954 and the relics of St Therese are placed under the dome for worshipers to revere and pray.