The Archives of the Carmel of Lisieux preserve documents ranging from 1838, the date of the foundation of the Carmel, to the present day. In addition of course to the works of Saint Thérèse (autobiographical manuscripts, poems, prayers, pious recreations, correspondence, etc.) and the archives concerning her beatification and canonization, there are also the archives of her close and distant family, those of the sisters of the community, but also of the first Theresians, artists who worked for her glorification or even the correspondence received from all over the world by the Carmel, testifying to the rapid development of devotion to Little Thérèse. The accounts of miracles and graces received through the intercession of Saint Thérèse also represent a substantial part of the documents preserved.
The document supports are very varied: paper, of course, but there are also photographs, glass plates, stereoscopic views, slides, postcards, architect's plans, VHS cassettes, audio cassettes, CDs, DVDs, vinyl records, X-rays , etc.
Many objects are also kept in the Carmel: objects that belonged to or were used by Thérèse and her family, objects of daily life in the Carmel in the XNUMXth century.rd century, paintings, charcoals and other works of art produced by the Carmelites, religious ornaments, old statues of the monastery and statues representing Saint Thérèse. The ex-votos, objects offered in thanks for a grace received through the intercession of Saint Thérèse, also represent an important part of the preserved objects. Contrary to what one might think, these are not only engraved marble plaques: they can take very varied forms depending on the personality of the person who sends them: artistic creation, military medal, medical prosthesis are the most common examples.
Finally, we also find in the Archives the old library of the Carmel, as well as the books that belonged to the Martin and Guérin families. A contemporary library completes the whole. In general, the scientific works concerning Thérèse are collected in order to bring together the most complete documentation possible.
The reading room is accessible mainly to researchers. The website is therefore a means of making these documents accessible to as many people as possible, and of allowing anyone who loves Saint Thérèse to get to know her. All of the archives are of course not digitized and put online, but this site, which aims to be very complete, allows you to discover in depth through its various menus the life of Thérèse, her work, her family environment, the Carmel of Lisieux as well as the stages of the glorification of Saint Thérèse.
However, the general public can come and discover these treasures once a year on the occasion of Heritage Days. Each year, on the third weekend of September, a new exhibition explores a particular theme and presents archives, objects and works of art. All guided tours of previous editions are available on the Archives YouTube channel.
