While Church Saint Jacques in the center of Lisieux may not be able to hold a candle to the city’s infamous Basilica that thousands flock to every year to celebrate Saint Therese, it makes an impressive statement nevertheless. We may have missed it since it wasn’t on our Spiritual France agenda, except for the fact that it sat posturing above me when I walked out of Hotel Saint Louis, the hotel where we were staying on Rue Saint Jacques for two nights. (Read my review of it in our Brittany/Normandy hotel section).
Lisieux is world famous of course because of Saint Therese (Therese Martin aka Sainte-Thérèse-de-l’Enfant-Jésus) and because of her lifelong work, Lisieux is considered to be the second town of pilgrimage in France with some 700,000 visitors each year who go to see the Basilica built in her honour. The Basilica btw, is also said to be the biggest church built in France in the 20th century.
Lisieux has numerous spiritual and historical factoids to tout. The city was the seat of a Bishopric almost from the birth of Normandy until the French Revolution. The area known as the “Canonical Quarter” dates from that period, and includes the Cathedral (one of the first in the Norman Gothic style), the Episcopal Palace, the hôtel du Haut Doyenné, the Bishop’s Palace Garden and the canonical houses.
You may be wondering why I’m fixated on Church Saint Jacques, which many could see as the poor cousin to the city’s Basilica, the Cathedral, the Palace and nearly every other grandiose monument in this historical gem. I was instantly drawn to the calming nature of this stone structure the moment the van pulled up alongside her as we entered the city for the first time. I found myself circling her as if I were studying a new friend for the very first time.
So, yes, yes, yes, read all of my posts on Lisieux and Normandy since I fell in love with this province and took thousands of fabulous photos, but also while you’re reading through them, be sure to give Church Saint Jacques a little nod along the way. Here are some of the shots I took so you can perhaps get a better idea of why I fell in love with Church Saint Jacques so quickly.
Be sure to check out our Brittany/Normandy food & wine section (and posts), as well as our general section on Brittany/Normandy. And, of course for the passionate about all things France, we have quite a bit of content in our France section as well as Paris.
Note: My trip was hosted by the French Tourism Board, however all opinions expressed are entirely my own.
Renee Blodgett is the founder of We Blog the World. The site combines the magic of an online culture and travel magazine with a global blog network and has contributors from every continent in the world. Having lived in 10 countries and explored nearly 80, she is an avid traveler, and a lover, observer and participant in cultural diversity.
She is also the CEO and founder of Magic Sauce Media, a new media services consultancy focused on viral marketing, social media, branding, events and PR. For over 20 years, she has helped companies from 12 countries get traction in the market. Known for her global and organic approach to product and corporate launches, Renee practices what she pitches and as an active user of social media, she helps clients navigate digital waters from around the world. Renee has been blogging for over 16 years and regularly writes on her personal blog Down the Avenue, Huffington Post, BlogHer, We Blog the World and other sites. She was ranked #12 Social Media Influencer by Forbes Magazine and is listed as a new media influencer and game changer on various sites and books on the new media revolution. In 2013, she was listed as the 6th most influential woman in social media by Forbes Magazine on a Top 20 List.
Her passion for art, storytelling and photography led to the launch of Magic Sauce Photography, which is a visual extension of her writing, the result of which has led to producing six photo books: Galapagos Islands, London, South Africa, Rome, Urbanization and Ecuador.
Renee is also the co-founder of Traveling Geeks, an initiative that brings entrepreneurs, thought leaders, bloggers, creators, curators and influencers to other countries to share and learn from peers, governments, corporations, and the general public in order to educate, share, evaluate, and promote innovative technologies.
