Chapelle Sainte Thérèse - Les Carmes, Catholic chapel in Larvotto, Monaco.
Chapelle Sainte Thérèse is a modern church building located on Boulevard d'Italie that combines clean lines with classical architectural touches. Inside, the structure accommodates roughly 210 worshippers, with a mezzanine providing additional seating above the main floor.
Carmelite friars from the sanctuary of Notre-Dame de Laghet settled in Monaco in 1880 and, expelled from France by the 1903 anticlerical decree, built a chapel and theology college here, completed in 1913. The last Mass in that church was held on 1 March 1998 before its demolition for a housing and school development. A temporary 80-seat chapel served for four years and two months; the new church by architect Fabrice Notari opened on 23 March 2002, its keys handed to Archbishop Bernard Barsi.
The chapel is also called "Chapelle des Carmes", following the old naming tradition. It is dedicated to Sainte Thérèse de Lisieux, a Carmelite from Lisieux, and its stained-glass windows depict scenes from her life, carried over from the earlier church. It was the 2002nd church or monastery dedicated to her worldwide, matching its inauguration year.
The chapel stands at 54 Boulevard d'Italie, 150 metres from the Saint-Roman interchange, on the eastern side of Monaco between La Rousse-Saint-Roman and Larvotto. Public lifts built during the 2002 redevelopment link the four street levels of this hillside district and are integrated into the chapel's volume, easing access from the surrounding residential blocks.
The church is said to be the 2,002nd monastery or church dedicated to Saint Thérèse worldwide, a coincidence with its 2002 opening year. Its stained-glass windows, kept from the earlier church, depict scenes from the saint's life.
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