Lisieux - Les Buissonnets

October 29, 2013

We got up Tuesday morning, packed up the apartment, and handed in the key. We had no food left for breakfast so we decided to just keep an eye out for a bakery. We knew that K would be all over that job! The Europcar (car-rental) agency was a 25 minute walk. We started our walk with our three little suitcases, stroller, backpack, and 3 children. The walk was fine but a little long for the two older children who were pulling the suitcases and they flipped occasionally because the pavement is so uneven (like all european streets). We arrived at Europcar, got the keys, the carseat was already installed in the car, the children got all buckled in, and Joe and I started to load the luggage and realized its not all going to fit. Are you kidding me? ughhh…these tiny european cars!!! As my family would say back home…its the people or the stuff NOT BOTH! I tried to talk to the guy about exchanging the car but was not successful. They only bring in the number of cars that are being rented that day…so we are outta luck. We ended up putting one of the cases on the backseat floor and we got the stroller and other cases in the trunk. 

Now we can finally start our road trip adventure to our first stop…Lisieux. First we had to navigate ourselves out of Paris and onto the major highway. Luckily that was pretty successful without Joe and I killing each other. 

I have always wanted to visit Lisieux and I have many friends that have been there before. One of my favorite saints is St. Thérese of the Little Flower or sometimes called St. Thérese of the Child Jesus. Lisieux is a little over an hour outside of Paris so it was not too long of a drive. 

 This is the alley in front of St. Therese's family home. The Martin family moved to Lisieux after her mother died in 1877. They rented this house on a little road called, "Chemin du Paradis" (Paradise Way). Thérese spent 11 years of her life here, until she joined the Carmelite Convent. 

The Martin family named the house Les Buissonnets 

The doors into the property 

Les Buissonnets the Martin Family home

The guide was giving a tour in French so she told us to walk around the grounds and come back in 5 minutes so she could give us a tour in English. 

This is view from the front of the property. It is really pretty but hard to tell from this picture. 

The well pump where they got their water

 This is a beautiful statue showing St. Thérese asking for her father's permission to enter the Convent in 1887. St. Thérese is only 15 years old at the time. 

View of the back of the house

Thérese's Gardens

This plaque is on the exterior front of the house

This the fireplace that is in the kitchen

I have to admit when I entered Les Buissonnets there is this sense of peace and calm. You really feel like you are going back 100 years and imagine Thérese here, surrounded by her father and sisters. 

St. Thérese - age 13

St. Thérese  - age 15

The Dining Room where Thérese had her last meal before entering the convent. Louis Martin made the clock that is on the mantle. 

Thérese's Bedroom

This is the bedroom where Thérese got very sick. She started to suffer from nervous tremors in 1883. Eventually Thérese recovered after she looked at the statue of Mary placed in her room. She said that that Mary smiled at her and she was healed. 

The Mary statue in Thérese's room

This is a copy of the statue that smiled at St. Thérese - Our Lady of the Smile. The original is in the convent which we will see later. 

Thérese's hair was cut off after she entered the convent and it was preserved

Another view of St. Thérese's room

Louis Martin's bedroom - we could not go into this room

This is the dress that Thérese wore for her 1st Communion

This is Thérese's dress that she would wear for special occasions 

Thérese's Crucifix

This room was full of St. Thérese's toys, games, and books

It was a quick tour and of course the last room was the gift shop. The children of course wanted stuff but we told them there was probably a bigger one at the basilica. 

It was really neat walking the house where St. Thérese lived as a child and lived her daily life. I invite you to read " The Story of a Soul" if you have not done so yet. You will learn much more about St. Thérese. She is a Saint and Doctor of the Church. Only 33 saints have been proclaimed Doctors of the Church. Remember she was only 15 when she entered the convent. Watching this scene of a girl, so young and so committed to love Jesus, I was very moved.