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Sculptor, designer of liturgical furniture and restorer of sacred places, Fleur Nabert is launching a line of artist's jewelry inspired by the Theresian tradition. A new adventure with plenty of inspiration. She talks to Aleteia.

Aleteia: Fleur, we know you as a sculptor and for your work on churches such as basilica in Saint-Avold. This autumn, we're discovering your artistic jewelry. Tell us about this new adventure!
Fleur Nabert: This adventure began during my confinement. I was at home with my three young daughters, all my sculpture, furniture and stained glass projects had come to a halt, and I had a vital need to create. I found the same freedom to dream in the three-centimeter mold of a medallion as in an entire choir. It's the same passionate, luminous quest to try and give a face to God, a form to grace. What was born of constraint has become a fruit of Providence. Since I dress the walls of our churches, it makes sense that I dress "the temples of the Spirit" (Saint Paul), which are our bodies. I myself have always searched the stores of shrines for jewels that reflect what my heart has experienced and remind me of it in everyday life. For me, jewelry is both a reminder and a testimony, a sign of something that we love and that we show to others to share. I have my baptism medal, of course, but I've always struggled to find other "celebrations" of Christian life that are at once beautiful to wear, spiritual, elegant and feminine. So I created them!

And your number-one source of inspiration is Thérèse de Lisieux, whose feast day is October 1?
Thérèse is a dear friend. She came looking for me one day, at the foot of a large three-metre bronze statue I was inaugurating at the Mutuelle Saint-Christophe, in the person of Father Lagoutte, the rector of Lisieux at the time. He asked me to redo the Notre-Dame du sourire chapel from floor to ceiling. On this occasion, I really met Thérèse through her writings, and discovered not the epinal image I had of her, but an audacious soul through whom the rays of heaven flow freely. And our friendship has continued ever since. I also created for her the Cloister of Mercy in Lisieux, a family reliquary with her parents in the United States, and another in the Basilica of Saint-Avold. In each case, I tried to portray her spirituality as a blend of strength, tenderness, simplicity, humility and femininity. For yes, Thérèse really is a young woman's heart, and even a mother's, so immense is her spiritual fruitfulness throughout the world, and for women she is a beautiful friend... to be called often!

But how do you put all this into a piece of jewelry?

I simply took her word for it! Strictly speaking, I took her words. When I was creating my jewelry in the wee hours of the morning, I heard that phrase again: "After I die, I'll make it rain roses". What does it mean? It's a promise of intercession. Confiding in Thérèse unravels some of life's difficulties. Oh no, not magically, because she would cast a spell from heaven. It's not Harry Potter! But because she helps us to reshape our hearts and change the way we look at our lives. There's no magic involved, just a more attentive listening to Providence at her school, a peace of heart that falls into place and lets us live out what Psalm 130 says: "I hold my soul even and silent; my soul is within me like a child, like a little child against its mother". I believe in Thérèse's effectiveness... in transforming us. So these jewels, all inspired by her words, are reminders and encouragements to surrender to her conviction: "All is grace". These rose petals flying freely in the resin, these radiant gold leaves whisper it in our ears every day. As an artist, I don't know how to make an object, even a beautiful one, that is devoid of meaning. I work with the material to transcend it through the depth of its meaning. 

As the famous saying goes, do you think beauty will save the world?
No. Love alone. But for me, beauty is the sensitive trace of God in the world. Beauty is the sign of the true, and radiance the smile of the good. I had a powerful experience of this in another way during my confinement: I had worked with Magnificat Editions on the choice of works of art for the book Dare to enter eternal life by Pierre-Marie Varennes. This book is a UFO, it's unique. It's an inner life retreat to be done at home... which during the confinement took on a tenfold meaning. 

How often do you work with Magnificat?
I have the pleasure of writing commentaries on sculptural works and participating in certain artistic events, notably Magnificat Days in the United States. And it's my family at heart. When I found my faith years ago, Magnificat was in my pocket every morning as I walked up Rue Soufflot, a little flame that never went out while I was in the jaws of preparatory classes!

And what are your plans for the coming months?

There are lots of them! The heart of my work remains sculpture, whether in bronze, wood or glass via thermoformed stained glass. At the moment, I've got a lot on my plate: a Christ in glory and a tabernacle in Moselle, a whole liturgical ensemble linked to an extraordinary contemporary organ in a village at the foot of the Alps, a project for large sculpted glass doors to create a weekday chapel, the desire to create glass icons and then the rare emotion of having won the competition to create the statue of King Saint Louis on the rear façade of the church of Saint-Louis-des-Français in Rome. I feel very small in the face of such a challenge, but I'll do my utmost to ensure that my heart makes its way, through my hands, to the material and that it begins to shine.  

Discover Fleur Nabert's jewelry on fleurnabertcreations.com. You can also find her sculptures on fleurnabert.com.