Re: History lost of St. Thérèse's life. And the city of Alençon will lose pilgrim$.
The French won an historic soccer championship on Mai 31, 2025. Then there were riots and rampages from some fans who were excited. A car crashed in an AXA agency, but the fire also destroyed Mr. Martin's shop. Mr. Louis Martin purchased this workshop in 1850, and stayed 20 years. So this is NOT the later mansion of "des Buissonnets" in Lisieux.
AI translation, adapted Excerpt...
https://fsspx.news/fr/news/alencon-la-maison-des-epoux-martin-reduite-cendres-52895"...The rioters that struck France after the PSG [Paris St.-Germain Soccer team] victory on 31 May 2025 did not spare the city of Alençon, which deplored the destruction of the former watchmaker shop which had belonged to Louis and Martin, the parents of Saint Thérèse de Lisieux, secondary patroness of France.
Eight of the Martin children – the saint excepted – were born in this house. If the exact circuмstances of the disaster are still unclear, how can we fail to see it as the symbol of a traditional France trampled underfoot by barbarians from such near and distant peripheries by certain facets?
The 'Alençon's watchmaker's workshop, located in the heart of the city, was much more than just an artisanal workshop. It embodied the legacy of Louis Martin, a watchmaker by profession, and of Zélie Guérin, embroiderer, whose union gave rise to a family marked by a deep faith and exemplary holiness.
It was in this space, where Louis exercised his profession with skill, that the couple lived part of their daily life, raising their children, whose future Saint Thérese, in a spirit of piety and charity. The carefully preserved workshop had become a place of pilgrimage, attracting visitors from all over the world wishing to discover the humble and authentic setting where the Martins cultivated their vocation.
Property of the Alençon shrine, the watchmaking housed personal objects of the couple, including working tools, letters and family memories. These relics, witnesses of their ordinary life sublimated by grace, were an invaluable spiritual heritage. The place was also an anchor for the pilgrims who found inspiration and meditation there, especially couples seeking to imitate the fidelity and love of the Martins.
The arson fire broke out around midnight on the night of (May 31 -1 ?) June 2025. According to the first findings reported by the press, the car crashed “unintentionally”, according to its driver, in the building that now houses an AXA agency, spreading the fire throughout the building, reducing it to a few hours. Despite the rapid intervention of the firefighters, the flames, fanned by old and flammable materials, caused irreversible damage.
The loss of watchmaker's shop is all the more painful since many precious objects, including artifacts related to the lives of the Martins, have been destroyed. A few of these, kept in a secure room, have been rescued, but the exact extent of the losses remains to be assessed.
The deeply affected Alençon sanctuary expressed its sadness in a statement, while calling for unity and prayer in the face of this ordeal.
The news of the fire aroused a great deal of emotion, both in Alençon and beyond. For the inhabitants, the watchmaker represented a symbol of local pride, anchored in the spiritual history of the city. Archbishop Jacques Habert, Bishop of Bayeux-Lisieux, expressed his "deep pain" in the face of the loss of this place.
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(Sources: Le Parisien/Boulevard Voltaire – FSSPX.News)
Illustration: X / Info Cathos
Topic: Soccer Match in France sets fires. Mr. Martin's Clock Repair Shop burned, 2025 (Read 2483 times)