Skip to main content

Secondary sourcePainting1940 (after an earlier painting)

Thérèse at the Feet of Pope Leo XIII

After Céline Martin · 1940 (after an earlier painting)

An engraving after a painting by Thérèse's sister Céline, showing young Thérèse kneeling before Pope Leo XIII.

Depicts Thérèse as a young girl kneeling before the Pope, a key episode in her life story.

Ask Saint Therese about this sourceView the original(opens in new tab)
Sepia-toned print of a young girl in a dark cloak kneeling before a seated elderly man in white papal robes and a white skullcap, who raises one hand. Two uniformed guards stand in an archway at left, and a carved ornate chair and a coat of arms appear at right.
After Céline Martin, Thérèse aux pieds de Léon XIII, engraving, 1940 edition of Histoire d'une âme.

About this source

What it is

This is an engraving reproduced in a 1940 edition of Histoire d'une âme, based on a painting by Céline Martin, Thérèse's sister. It shows a young girl kneeling before a seated pope, with guards and a decorated chair nearby.

Why it matters

The scene recalls a famous episode in which Thérèse, as a teenager, appealed directly to Pope Leo XIII to be allowed to enter the Carmelite convent earlier than usual rules permitted. The image was created decades later by her own sister, showing how the Martin family shaped the visual memory of Thérèse's story for readers of her memoir.

Look closer

  • Why might Céline, a family member, have chosen to paint this particular moment?
  • What does the pope's gesture and the formal setting suggest about the importance given to this meeting?
  • How might an image made by a relative differ from one made by a stranger?

This painting is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Saint Therese on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

More Saint Therese sources

Meet the AI Saint Therese →
Front cover of a French book titled 'Sainte Thérèse de l'Enfant-Jésus' in ornate Art Nouveau style with floral borders, a star at top, an oval illustration of saints and an angel, a quotation, and Latin motto banners at the bottom.Book

Primary source

The Story of a Soul

Thérèse of Lisieux · 1898

Document

Primary source

Act of Oblation to Merciful Love

Thérèse of Lisieux · 9 June 1895

Black and white photograph of a young woman in a dark religious veil and white collar, with a calm, slight smile, looking toward the camera. Her face fills most of the frame.Photograph

Primary source

Portrait of Thérèse of Lisieux

15 April 1895

Black and white photograph of a young woman in a pale armored-style bodice and dark fleur-de-lis-decorated skirt, holding a sword, standing beside a banner pole in front of a brick wall and ivy, with a shield bearing fleurs-de-lis and a wreath at her feet.Photograph

Primary source

Photograph of Thérèse as Joan of Arc

Céline Martin (Sister Geneviève) · 1895

Photograph of a book cover with a marbled brown and tan speckled paper binding and a beige cloth spine, with blue flecks. A small library credit in the lower right reads Source gallica.bnf.fr / Bibliothèque nationale de France. The cover appears worn at the edges.Book

Primary source

Histoire d'une âme, first edition (1898)

Thérèse of Lisieux, ed. Pauline Martin (Mother Agnes of Jesus) · 30 September 1898

Ready when you are

Start chatting with Saint Therese now.

20 messages free · No credit card · Available in 50+ languages.

Trial Humy for freeGet a quote for institutions