Named after Saint Thérèse of Lisieux, this church in Keszthely is one of the youngest basilicas of Hungary: built in the style of Romanesque Revival, its foundation stone was laid down in 1927 and it was ranked as a basilica minor in 1989.
However, the Carmelites could only use their largest church for a short amount of time, as the order was banned in 1950 and the monastery that belonged to it was turned into a school. Following the change of regime, the Carmelite Order of Hungary was re-formed and they got their building back, where they trained new monks until 2017 when the diocese was appointed to take over the parish administration for ten years – so, basically, they “marched out” of the basilica.
Tip: Although the basilica’s door is always open in theory, it’s best to call them before visiting.
