Thérèse of Lisieux was beatified in 1923 and canonized in 1925. Pope Pius XI placed his pontificate under the sign of the Saint and allowed for a basilica to be built in the city where she lived. With a total area of 48,437 square feet (4,500 m²) over 321 ft (104 m) long, the Romano-Byzantine monument has a dome rising to 295 ft (90 m). Damaged by German bombardments during WWII, the basilica was not completed and consecrated until 1954. Today, it is France's second place of pilgrimage after Lourdes.