Parc de la Prairie

Lisieux is a small town in the Pays d'Auge, in the Calvados department of Normandy, best known around the world as the home of Saint Thérèse, the young Carmelite nun who died in 1897 and was canonised in 1925. The great Basilica of Saint Thérèse, built in the twentieth century on the hill above the town, draws pilgrims from many countries and is the main reason for visits.

The Parc de la Prairie is one of the public green spaces of Lisieux, and parks of this kind in Normandy towns are used by local people for walks, picnics, children's play and a few minutes of calm. It does not rank among the town's main sights, and visitors should not expect monuments or collections. Its value is as an easy break between visits, a place to sit on a bench with a coffee, let children run about, or stretch your legs after a morning among churches. If you plan a visit, it is sensible to ask at the tourist office for the current access arrangements, opening times and any facilities.

Lisieux itself rewards a slow stroll. The old centre was heavily damaged in the Second World War, but a few old streets survive, and some timber-framed houses can still be seen. The Cathédrale Saint-Pierre de Lisieux, a Gothic church of the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, stands in the centre of town beside the former bishop's palace and its garden, the Jardin de l'Évêché. The Musée de la Vie Normande, in the sixteenth-century buildings of the Château de la Maltournée, shows Norman domestic and rural life. The Rue Saint-Pierre is a main street for walking and shopping.

The surrounding countryside is the Pays d'Auge, known for its apple orchards, half-timbered farms and cheeses such as Livarot and Pont-l'Évêque, as well as cider and calvados. Lisieux makes a good base for exploring this area, and the coast at Deauville and Honfleur is less than an hour away.

The park suits families, pilgrims who want a quiet pause and anyone looking for a break between sights. Check opening times, as municipal parks sometimes have seasonal hours.