Her life in 10 dates
- Born in Alençon. Thérèse is the youngest of the nine born to Louis and Zélie Martin; only five daughters reach adulthood. She is baptised two days later at Notre-Dame d'Alençon.
- Arrival in Lisieux. Her mother dies of cancer on 28 August 1877. Louis Martin moves with his daughters to Les Buissonnets in Lisieux, near the Guérin family.
- First Communion at the Benedictine abbey in Lisieux, where she is a pupil. She will call it “the most beautiful of days”. She is confirmed on 14 June that year.
- The Christmas grace. Coming home from Midnight Mass, Thérèse, until then very sensitive and often in tears, experiences what she will call her “complete conversion”.
- Before Pope Leo XIII. On a pilgrimage to Rome with her father and her sister Céline, she dares to ask the Pope for permission to enter the Carmel at 15.
- Enters the Carmel of Lisieux at 15, where two of her sisters, Pauline and Marie, have gone before her.
- Religious profession. She takes her final vows at the Carmel, on the feast of the Nativity of the Virgin.
- Dies at the Carmel of tuberculosis, aged 24.
- Story of a Soul is published, a year to the day after her death. First printed in 2,000 copies, the book travels around the world.
- Canonised by Pope Pius XI, only two years after her beatification on 29 April 1923.
After her death
- 1927: Pius XI names her patron saint of the missions, with Saint Francis Xavier.
- 1929: the foundation stone of the Basilica of Lisieux is laid; it is consecrated in 1954.
- 3 May 1944: Pius XII names her secondary patron saint of France, alongside Joan of Arc.
- 19 October 1997: John Paul II proclaims her a Doctor of the Church. She is the third woman to receive this title.
- 18 October 2015: her parents, Louis and Zélie Martin, are canonised by Pope Francis.
- 2025: Lisieux celebrates the centenary of her canonisation.
Her feast day is 1 October.
The “Little Way”
Thérèse founded no order and hardly ever left her convent. Her message lies in what she called the “Little Way”: seeking God in the simplest everyday actions, with trust, without looking for great deeds. She promised to let fall a “shower of roses” from heaven, which is why she is almost always shown with roses.
The shop opens soon
Fifteen prints of the Basilica of Lisieux, each in three colourways, numbered and in limited editions. Leave your email on a print's page to hear when we open.
Discover the printsHer places in Lisieux
In Lisieux you can follow in her footsteps in a single day: Les Buissonnets, Saint-Pierre Cathedral where the family went to Mass, the Carmel chapel where her shrine lies, and the basilica built in her honour. See our itinerary in What to see in Lisieux in one day.
Frequently asked questions
How old was Saint Thérèse of Lisieux when she died?
She died on 30 September 1897 at the Carmel of Lisieux, of tuberculosis, aged 24.
When was Saint Thérèse canonised?
On 17 May 1925, by Pope Pius XI, two years after her beatification on 29 April 1923.
When is the feast of Saint Thérèse of Lisieux?
On 1 October.
Why is Saint Thérèse shown with roses?
She promised to let fall a “shower of roses” from heaven, meaning graces, after her death.