Exterior view of the house where Saint Theresa was born — ©Birthplace of Saint Thérèse of Lisieux|Sanctuaire d'Alençon, David Fugere

Our must-haves The birthplace of Saint Theresa

Three saints in one family is a rare occurrence!
Here in Alençon, you can discover the life of Louis and Zélie Martin, parents of the most famous saint in the world: Saint Thérèse.

Enter the house where Thérèse was born and immerse yourself in the day-to-day life of the Martin family. Step back in time and let yourself be carried away by the story of this ordinary family with an extraordinary destiny.

Getting there

The birthplace of Saint Theresa

The Sisters and Brothers of the Brazilian community “Les Carmélites de l’Esprit Saint” and the entire Shrine team welcome you to the birthplace of Saint Theresa to discover the story of the Martin family.

Here, joys, sorrows and prayers punctuated the days of the five Martin daughters and their parents. Linger in the gallery of family objects: Zélie’s wedding ring, Louis’s fishing rods and Thérèse’s little toy basket, described in her book “Histoire d’une âme”. Here, everything is calm and serene, and you can’t help but feel something. The set design prepares you for a meeting, as if the family were still present.
You can almost make out Zélie writing one of her letters and Louis, at his desk, weighing out the lace, touched by the voice of little Thérèse calling out to her mother from the top of the stairs. The staircase takes you upstairs to the adjoining chapel, built in honour of Thérèse’s canonisation in 1925.
You will then be moved to discover the birth room, where you will find Thérèse’s cradle and her marriage bed.

Opening periods