ABSTRACT
The Basilica of Sainte-Thérèse (1929–54) was built to accommodate the modern pilgrimage to Lisieux, France, following the rapid growth of the Catholic devotion to Saint Thérèse, a Carmelite whose autobiography was published after her death in 1897 as Histoire d’une âme, Story of a Soul in English. This chapter argues that Thérèse’s fellow nuns, especially two who were her biological sisters, Pauline and Céline Martin, played a vital role in building the basilica. They bought property, raised funds and made key decisions on the design. At first, they planned to build a Gothic Revival church according to plans by Julien Barbier, but they soon decided to execute the Romano-Byzantine design of Louis-Marie Cordonnier. Building the church was part of the nuns’ effort to shape Thérèse’s legacy and to foster the pilgrimage in a manner that protected their community. While acknowledging the input of local clerics and Pope Pius XI, this chapter concentrates on the nuns’ involvement and presents it as an example of the opportunity that Catholic religious orders offered women in the nineteenth century and early twentieth century.
