Lisieux

Town in Calvados département of France, on the River Touques 50 km/30 mi southeast of Caen; population (1990) 24,500. There is a large trade in dairy products and textiles, electrical goods, and food products; car parts are manufactured here.

St Thérèse of Lisieux (1873-1917), who was canonized in 1925, spent her religious life in the Carmelite convent here; pilgrims visit her shrine, a white basilica which dominates the valley. The 12th-century cathedral where she worshipped, the convent, and the home of her family, have all survived.

Features Lisieux is a picturesque town, but it lost many of its old houses during World War II. Much of the town centre was rebuilt in modern style. The church of St Pierre was the cathedral of a bishopric founded in the 6th century. The massive neo-Byzantine basilica receives thousands of visitors every year. The surrounding area can be viewed from the top of the dome. Thomas Becket fled here during his quarrel with Henry II, and some of his vestments remain in the church of St Jacques.