We had originally planned a day at Monet’s home of Giverny. We changed our minds when we realized it was closer to Paris than we expected. So we shifted our gears and went to the Basilica of Lisieux . It was incredible!

The Basilica of Saint Therese

The Basilica was constructed in 1929 and consecrated in 1954. It houses the relics of St. Therese, a Carmelite nun also known as the little flower of Jesus. She is a sub-patron saint of France, Mary is the formal patron saint. She is also the patrons saint of missionaries, florists, pilots and priests. Therese became a cloistered nun at age 15 in Lisieux. Before she died of tuberculosis at the age of 24, she wrote a book called The Story of a Soul which described her theology. She is one of four women who have been declared “Doctors of the Church” by a pope. She became hugely popular for her holiness and was beatified and canonized within 28 years of her death. This basilica is the second most popular place of pilgrimage in France after Lourdes.

Inside the Dome
The Canadian Chapel

Amazing mosaics

The building’s interior is stunningly beautiful. It was built with donations from faithful Catholics around the world.

During WWII 2/3 of Lisieux was heavily bombed after D-Day. People sought safety in the crypts for days while the bombing and shelling hit. Some of the upper Basilica was damaged but the crypts held and the people hiding there were saved.

The Crypts
The Crypts

We left the Basilica and shifted to St. Peter’s Cathedral in downtown Lisieux. This is where St. Therese attended mass daily. It originated as early as the 6th but for sure by the 12th Century and was finally completed in the 18th Century. Pierre Cauchon, a Catholic bishop, who was appointed the judge of the trial of Joan of Arc is buried here. He was pro-British in the 100 years war and he played a key role in making sure she was burned at the stake in 1431. Despite its grisly history, the building is beautiful.

Joan of Arc
St. Peter’s Cathedral
St. Peter’s Cathedral

We stopped for lunch in Livarot with the idea of going to a cheese tasting at a local farm. However, after a hearty meal, that seemed unwise so we took a bit of a stroll in that town ending up at our third church of the day. Livarot is a quaint village with many medieval buildings on the main road. The church was small, in poor repair, but trying hard to stay current.

Near the church
Livarot church
Church window in Livarot

Our final stop of the day was at the Chateau Saint0Germain de Livet. This castle was stunning. The admission was free and included a guided English tour.

Chateau St. Germain de Livet
The inner courtyard

We had to wait for the tour so we toured the lovely gardens and watched the ducks and tame peacocks for an hour.

My ducks were in a row today!

The tour guide was fun as we tested my ability to translate specific French words into English. We had fun.

The oldest part of the castle, from the 15th C, built upon an older castle’s foundations
The stone part of the castle from the 16thC with green glazed “look at me, I’m rich” tiles.
A salamander to protect the wooden structure
Across the road from the castle, our final church of the day. We didn’t go inside, but wandered the 19th C graveyard.

We are now back at our digs for our last night in St. Ouen Le Pin. It has been lovely.

Our home for the past 5 nights
Our view
Our dining room

Tomorrow we head out early for Paris. We are hoping to have our car back by 11 and then we head to our last VRBO in the 17th Arrondissement of Paris by 1pm. We have a few fairly unstructured days in Paris before heading home Sunday.