fleur nabert sculpteur reliquaire saints louis zélie thérèse martin magnificat fondation philadelphie fleur rose or

Reliquary of Saints Louis, Zelie and Therese Martin

Philadelphia, USA

The sanctuary of Lisieux has entrusted the Magnificat Foundation with the relics of Saint Thérèse of Lisieux and of her parents, the blessed Louis and Zélie Martin, to make the spirituality of the Martin family known through the United States.

The Magnificat Foundation had the first family reliquary created by Fleur Nabert, designed for veneration and procession. On a bronze pedestal sit three individual reliquaries marked by the first letter of the first names Therese, Louise and Zelie. Doctor of the Church, Saint Therese is the highest of the three and placed in the center while her parents are united by two wedding rings which recall the strength and the holiness of the sacrament of marriage. Inspired by a drawing of Saint Therese, her parents are represented by two lilies, that of Azelie Martin is slightly smaller to recall her death during Therese's childhood.

The flowers are in gilded bronze with yellow gold and white gold leaf. The saint is represented by a rose as the whole world knows her because she hoped to "peel off" under the footsteps of Christ and promised "I will spend my Heaven doing good on Earth, you will see it will be like a rain of roses ”. The whole is leaned against a radiating cross openwork in bronze to signify the attachment to Christ of each Martin and protected by a transparent shell in the shape of an ogive to remind that the family is the first chapel, the first place of Christian life. The reliquary was presented for the first time on Magnificat Day, November 9th, 2013, in Philadelphia. It is know on permanent display at the Carmel of Philadelphia for veneration of the Relics.