At the heart of the Alençon basilica, converting hearts

Support the new developments of the Alençon basilica for the veneration of relics and the discovery of the life of the holy Martin spouses

A new step to grow the pilgrimage

During this year 2025, the 10th anniversary of the canonization of the Martin couple, an appeal is launched for support the completion of the development of the chapel where the relics of the Martin couple, solemnly installed on July 12, 2025, are venerated, as well as the creation of a visitor and discovery trail on Saints Louis and Zélie in the side aisles of the basilica.

This will be a new important step for the veneration of the Martin couple in the heart of their city. A new threshold of attendance and notoriety for the young Sanctuary of Alençon that you can help us cross.

To help with this project with a strong missionary dimension, the Sanctuary is turning to all those who feel concerned by this message of trust and hope that the Martin family was able to deliver and that it continues to inspire.

Church places are increasingly places of peace and return to God. Located in the heart of Alençon, the Notre-Dame church can become, thanks to you, a formidable "incubator" of conversions, regain its place as the heart of the Sanctuary, honor its name of "basilica", and receive more pilgrims, especially from all over the world.

Need for new developments

These important relics (the left forearms of each of the Martin spouses), entrusted by the Carmel and the Sanctuary of Lisieux, are contained in a reliquary with a completely Alençon decor. The whole has been visible since July 12 in the chapel of the Virgin, known as the "marriage chapel", a place traditionally known as the location of the religious marriage of the Martin couple.

The place was not up to the standard of the relics entrusted and the reception of pilgrims to pray there, so a complete redevelopment of the place was planned.

The goal :

• To be one of the beating hearts of the sanctuary, the very place where the Martin couple said “I do”.
• May the basilica and its chapel of the Martin couple become a "source" or reference point for Alençon, its residents, and its tourists. Ultimately, we hope to double the number of visitors to the basilica within ten years.

In order to take the visitor and the pilgrim to the chapel of relics located at the back of the basilica, it was vital for the designers Christophe Berte and Bruno Mousset toStories of, supported by the company Born Scenography, to imagine a tour circuit from the entrance to the church.

Why are you committed to supporting this future project?

Your donation will help fund the first phase of the chapel, and complete the entire project by the end of the year. The stakes are high since it is about spreading more strongly the message of this ordinary couple who put God at the heart of their life and their choices, their joys and their trials.

By your donation, you are making your contribution to the building of offer a magnificent setting conducive to meditation, encouraging the discovery of this family of saints, and recalling their roots in a city proud of its ancient know-how, Alençon lace.

Through your support, you will allow people to be touched by the grace of the place. In France, in a context of increased dechristianization, It is estimated that 20% of catechumenal approaches come from meeting and visiting a church. Churches today are missionary places, places of conversion, where many people, through this stone testimony of previous generations, through the testimony of the saints invoked in these places of faith, rediscover the meaning of life, the path to their Creator.

Budget: The overall project, including design, support, and related equipment, is estimated at around €135,000. We have already raised nearly €74,000. and we are counting on you to contribute 60,000 euros, or nearly 45% of the project's overall budget.