When Thérèse Martin was born in 1873, Europe was on the verge of great change. In science there was the Industrial Revolution, which roared through England during the 18th and 19th centuries and initiated the age of technology. In art the Impressionist movement, centered in Paris, broke with the classical and romantic styles in painting and music. The French Revolution and the Enlightenment of the 18th century challenged the traditions of religion, inciting anticlerical sentiments among prominent thinkers and state leaders, thus changing French society forever. Thérèse's little town and the Carmel of Lisieux were steeped in the issues of the day. Thérèse Martin lived during a time when the modern era was dawning and her message of the 'little way' became the foundation for the 20th century.
