Saints
Saint Thérèse of Lisieux
Sainte Thérèse de l'Enfant Jésus · de la Sainte Face
- Technique
- Egg tempera and gold leaf on wood
- Dimensions
- 18 × 24 cm
- Status
- Completed · private collection
Why this icon
I wrote this icon at my parents’ request, as a gift for my mother’s goddaughter, whose name is Thérèse. This project particularly touched me, as I am very fond of Saint Thérèse of Lisieux and her spirituality.
Unable to find a model that fully satisfied me, I composed my own version, drawing inspiration from several icons of Saint Thérèse. I greatly enjoyed writing it.
About this icon
Saint Thérèse of Lisieux (1873–1897), a Carmelite nun, is represented in her religious habit, holding an image of Christ close to her heart. The inscription recalls her full religious name, Thérèse of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face. These two devotions express complementary aspects of her love for Jesus: trust before the God who becomes a little child, and compassion for the suffering Christ.
Here Jesus is shown through his face upon a cloth, evoking the traditional image of the Holy Face. His frontal gaze meets ours, while Thérèse’s hand rests gently against his forehead. This gesture can be read as an expression of affection and consolation. The icon thus makes visible a relationship of prayer: Thérèse contemplates Christ and invites us to turn towards him.
The roses and loose petals in her other hand recall a recurring image in her writings. In her poem A Rose Unpetalled, the flower offered petal by petal becomes an image of a life given to Jesus. Here the petals can suggest the small, everyday acts of love through which she sought to offer herself: a kindness, a hidden service, a difficulty accepted with love.
“After my death, I will let fall a shower of roses upon the earth.”
— Saint Thérèse of Lisieux
They illuminate her “little way”, a path of trust and love lived through ordinary things. The scattered petals express a gift made quietly, without seeking recognition. Their red tones may also evoke the ardour of her love for Christ, set beside the solemn gentleness of his face.
The light mantle and white veil contrast with the dark veil and sleeves, drawing attention to the faces and hands. The golden background and radiant halo place this intimate gesture within the light of holiness. The whole composition invites a simple prayer: to love Christ through the small gestures of daily life.