Saint Thérèse of Lisieux Church

Saint Thérèse of Lisieux Church is a religious building in the port city of Menzel Bourguiba featuring a striking 40-meter bell tower and an 8-meter-wide stone nave. The structure displays colonial architecture and its vertical form marks the urban landscape at the city center.

Construction began in 1908 during the French protectorate, initially with a wooden structure before being replaced by the permanent stone building. The church evolved into an important monument of French settlement in this North African city.

The church is named after Saint Thérèse of Lisieux and received two bells in 1930, with one dedicated to the saint herself as its patron. This naming choice reflected the religious devotion of the French settlers who gathered here as their spiritual center.

The building now functions as a public library after being transferred to the Tunisian government in 1964 as the Christian population declined. Visitors should note that the site serves a cultural purpose today and the original religious function is no longer active.

The church experienced a dramatic shift in its congregation, from about 2,000 worshippers in the 1950s to roughly 50 following the 1961 Bizerta crisis. This decline reflects the major demographic changes triggered by political events in the region.