Louis and Zélie

Best known as the parents of the beloved St. Thérèse of Lisieux, Louis and Azélie-Marie Martin were a pious French couple who tried to foster a monastic spirit of prayerful contemplation in their married life. Of their five daughters who survived childhood, four entered the Carmelites at Lisieux and the fifth became a Visitandine nun. In 2015, Louis and Zélie were declared saints, the first husband and wife to be canonized together.

Goretti Fine Art’s powerful portrait of the holy spouses captures Louis and Zélie's physical likenesses while highlighting the profound spirituality that animated their union. Their marital affection is evident, as Zélie lovingly fingers her wedding band and Louis gently rests his hands on her shoulders. The couple's gaze, however, is directed not toward each other but toward a heavenly reality, indicating that their mutual love orients them toward something beyond themselves. Meanwhile, the rose motif and Carmelite crest in the wallpaper pattern allude to the way that their unassuming piety manifested itself in the exemplary lives of their children, particularly St. Thérèse.