Alencon Sanctuary

Welcome to the shrine Louis & Zélie

To come to the Louis and Zélie d'Alençon shrine is to discover the source of their marital and family happiness : the love that unites them, their unshakeable faith in God, through the joys and trials of their daily life. their whole life steeped in the gospel.

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PREPARE YOUR VISIT

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Do you want to come and discover the shrine alone, as a couple, with your family, in a group or even as a Notre-Dame team? Discover now our spiritual proposals and contact us to organize your visit.

Pilgrim

Family

Couple

Groups

Our next events

Events

17/10/2026 — 18/10/2026

Family Day

Living in love within marriage: a simple path? With Marie-Pia and Jean de Saint-Cheron

24/10/2026

Guided tour "The 25th Hour" - Awakening the 5 senses

A sensory immersion in the historic building that is the Notre-Dame Basilica.

24/11/2026 — 24/10/2026

Evening of testimonials with Anne-Dauphine Julliand - Evening of generosity for the Sanctuary

Evening of testimonials with Anne-Dauphine Julliand - Evening of generosity for the Louis and Zélie Sanctuary

16/11/2026 — 22/11/2026

Spiritual Retreat

"Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom." True and false freedom. What does the freedom given to us in Christ consist of? With the Father...

04/12/2026 — 06/12/2026

Upper Room Weekend

Couples, rekindle your love with the fire of God

Lodging

Pilgrims hostelry

A place of accommodation and catering for families and pilgrims, the Hôtellerie des Pilgrims is located at the foot of the Basilica of Notre-Dame d'Alençon, where Saints Louis and Zélie were married and where Saint Thérèse was baptized, in 300 meters from their family home.

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Couple life, education, separation, isolation, mourning, difficulties...

Need to be listened to?

Are you suffering in your family, marital life? Do you experience loneliness badly because of being single or widowed? The vocation of the Louis and Zélie Martin sanctuary is to welcome, listen and pray especially for these intentions related to couples and families.

A triple mission which is becoming more and more concrete in Alençon with families and isolated people in difficulty, who come to seek the protection and intercession of Saints Louis and Zélie Martin.

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In the footsteps of the Martin family

Discover the places of family, professional and sacramental life of the Martins around the city of Alençon

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testimonials

Their testimonies

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A person who has experienced a retreat at the Sanctuary

Unique experience of great human, spiritual and appeasement richness. Quality of welcome, kindness of hosts and volunteers. Cleanliness and standing of accommodation.

A member of the Chemin Neuf community residing in Port-Louis

In a formation center of the Chemin Neuf Community, in Zaragoza, Spain, during a period of presence of the relics of Saints Louis and Zélie two things happened. The healing of marital sterility for a couple and, in another family, that of a very sick embryo having caused contamination for its mother. Today, the mother and child are doing well although the medical diagnosis was very pessimistic. This reminds us that the miracle chosen for the canonization of Louis and Zélie is the healing of little Carmen, in the diocese of Valence, in Spain.

Stephanie (with the Institute of Theresian Studies)

From July 15 to 26, 2024, there were around thirty of us, from all over the world, taking advantage of our vacation to delve deeper into the writings of Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus and more particularly those of the year 1896. This session of the IET (Institut d’Études Thérèsiennes) taking place in Lisieux, we were not very far from Alençon. On Saturday, July 20, we went to Alençon, in order to get to know the Martin family better. For some of us, it was the first time… In the morning, we were welcomed in the birthplace of little Thérèse. At noon, we attended mass in the chapel overlooking the room where “the greatest saint of modern times” was born. After a picnic in the garden of the Maison Martin, we visited Alençon “in the footsteps of Louis and Zélie Martin”. We were able to discover the Notre-Dame basilica where Saints Louis and Zélie Martin were married and where little Thérèse was baptized. Then Louis Martin's watchmaking, the Pavilion where as a young man, Louis Martin liked to find himself alone to meditate. We saw the bridge where Louis and Zélie met and to finish, we were able to visit the Saint-Pierre church, where the Martin children were baptized. On the way back to Lisieux, we stopped at Semallé. Rose Taillé's house is very different from the Martin's house. And yet, in this house, attentive to what our guide explained, we could only be moved by this very simple house. We thank you for the welcome we received and for our different guides. Stéphanie Couriaud

Severin and Martine

On July 12, 2014, we were blessed by the relics of Saints Louis and Zélie Martin at the sanctuary of Alençon, on the occasion of our 30th years of marriage, then for 7 years. On July 12, 2024, for our 40th wedding anniversary, we once again shared this great moment of blessing, which allowed us to deepen holiness as a couple, continuing to take them as a model, "God first served." Following this event, we made the decision to accompany the engaged couples of our diocese as sponsors, which we did on March 22, 2025. Marriage is a gift from God, a path of holiness, a vocation shared by two to become saints with each other and for each other. Life together is a path filled with emotion, astonishment, agreement, disagreement, joy, love, sadness but also grace. Saints Louis and Zélie experienced them in different ways and with faith: their meeting, their family and professional life, the births and also the bereavements of their children, and always with great trust in the Lord. Faith is the instrument that leads us to the spirit of trust, which is the fruit of the Holy Spirit. We give thanks to the Lord God for all the torrents of grace that he gives us every day. Through the intercession of Saints Louis and Zélie and the Blessed Virgin Mary, we entrust our prayers to you.

Father Louis Menvielle

“I think very deeply that if Thérèse of the Child Jesus is what she is, it is because she lived 4 years in Alençon in a family and an atmosphere of love, of loved ones and of God. This synthesis of love which enveloped this child is the foundation of his “little way”. Alençon seems to me to be a capital Sanctuary for understanding Saint Thérèse. The visit to the family home is very touching. There is a whole spirituality of the family at the Sanctuary and even a theology of the family which deserves to be developed here. Very close to these places which marked Thérèse's life, there is the Hôtellerie des Pilgrims, this spiritual center that I discovered, which is a place of peace, of beautiful family welcome, very well maintained. »

Father Jean Burin des Roziers, Saints-Pierre and Paul parish (diocese of Vaud, Switzerland)

"With a group of 15 people, we left Switzerland in the footsteps of Saint Thérèse of Lisieux and her family. We are arrived on October 16 in Lisieux then we went on October 17 to Alençon. We were well received in the Martin family home where a passionate nun accompanied us during the visit. We were thus able to discover in which environment Thérèse lived her childhood. In the chapel adjoining the house, we took a time of prayer. We then went to eat at the pilgrims' hostel. In the afternoon, deacon Guy Fournier joined us and allowed us to experience the jubilee process. We went to the Notre-Dame basilica to discover this church that Thérèse and her family attended. We finally celebrated mass in the hotel chapel. Thank you to all the people who allowed us to experience this beautiful pilgrimage which pleased each participant."

Father Benoît Stemler, Saint-Michel parish of Paris

"With 85 pilgrims from the parish, we spent a day at the Sanctuary of Alençon as the first stage of a 3-day pilgrimage on the theme of holiness. A guided tour allowed us to discover the family home as well as the different places that were important in the city of Alençon for Saints Louis and Zélie. By delving deeper into the story of this couple, and their daughters, we better discovered how holiness is lived every day in the little things, in a job well done and a family life made of concrete love. Many discovered this sanctuary for the first time and were able to place their prayer intentions near the holy spouses."

Pilgrims of the diocese of Grenoble-Vienne

“During Teresian week, a group of pilgrims from the diocese of Grenoble-Vienne came to Lisieux and Alençon to follow in those footsteps. of Thérèse. For six of us, this pilgrimage was part of a journey with Thérèse begun a few years ago at the Theological Center of Meylan-Grenoble. Great was our joy to discover all the places where Thérèse lived after having imagined them while reading History of a Soul. A big thank you to Guy Fournier, deacon, our guide for the day in Alençon. The evocation of the Martin family, the love of the parents, the birth of Thérèse, 9th child and yet welcomed as a gift, the difficulties with Léonie... All of this ties in with our own family life with today's concerns. today. Our pilgrimage will remain an important step in our journey following Christ with Thérèse.”

Pastoral care of migrants - diocese of Vannes

"As part of the pastoral care of migrants, the intercultural groups of Keryado (Lorient) and the deanery of Hennebont met on July 6, 2024, for a pilgrimage to Alençon in the footsteps of the family of Louis and Zélie Martin. After a visit to the family home and a discovery of Zélie's letters, the group accompanied by a guide, visited the main places linked to the life of this family: the meeting bridge, the church of Saint-Pierre de Montsort, the watchmaking of Louis Martin, ... The first day ended with a time of teaching on "Léonie and the way of childhood" followed by a time of worship. We give thanks to the Lord for this great pilgrimage, for what we were allowed to live together through the intercession of the Martin family. "What we have seen and heard, we announce to you also, so that you also may have fellowship with us. Now our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. And we write these things, that our joy may be full." 1 Jn 3-4

Nathalie

It was a grace for our family, which was going through a big crisis, to come and celebrate my parents' wedding anniversary. This crisis was worse than we had had, with brothers and sisters who hadn't spoken to each other for months. This ended a bad scenario. And pardons will take their time, but they have roots there to grow.

Blog

Our latest news

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Day of Showers of Roses - 800 people gathered around Saint Thérèse

The day was celebrated by many faithful this Saturday, October 3, 2026, at the Notre-Dame Basilica in Alençon. A day of joy, hope, and grace centered around the Norman saint.

A summer of continuity and innovation

The Sanctuary's participation was very enriching, including a couples' retreat in Brive-la-Gaillarde, a week of renewal for grandparents, and a weekend with a team of pastoral leaders from the diocese of...

Read more Published on September 24 2026

Novena to Saints Louis and Zélie

Available for purchase at the Sanctuary Shop (50 rue Saint-Blaise, Alençon), priced at €6.

Read more Published on September 24 2026

Happy grandparents in Alençon

Louis et Zélie show on RCF

Read more Published on September 22 2026

Summer: the basilica, a place of welcome and encounters

Louis et Zélie show on RCF

Read more Published on September 09 2026

The family history

The Martin family

By discovering the life of Louis and Zélie Martin who lived in the XNUMXth century, we realize that their examples still speak to us today. Indeed, each of us will be able to find ourselves in this or that aspect of our lives.

The holiness of Louis and Zélie is a holiness that suits all times, all situations, and all living conditions.

Discover the family history

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Support the shrine

The generosity of donors helps us carry out the projects of the shrine:

• Spread the message Saints Louis and Zélie Martin and Saint Thérèse

• To welcome a growing number of pilgrims

• Organise about ten events per year at the service of couples, families, people with diverse life realities, and to make them accessible even to the most modest incomes.

Alençon: a unique place to make love grow in my family

Welcome to the shrine Louis & Zélie