About St. Teresa of Avila
St. Teresa of Ávila, a 16th-century Spanish noblewoman turned Carmelite nun, was one of the most remarkable figures of the Catholic Reformation. Born in 1515, she entered religious life partly to avoid marriage, but underwent a profound spiritual transformation in her 40s that led her to reform the Carmelite order, founding numerous monasteries despite fierce opposition and physical illness. A mystic who experienced powerful visions and wrote about them with remarkable clarity, she composed several spiritual classics, including “The Interior Castle” and her autobiography, which uniquely combined practical wisdom with accounts of mystical experiences. Despite living in an era of the Spanish Inquisition when women’s voices were often silenced, she became the first female Doctor of the Church (alongside Catherine of Siena) in 1970. Her close friendship with fellow mystic St. John of the Cross and her determination to reform religious life while maintaining a sense of humor – she once said “God deliver us from gloomy saints” – made her both influential and deeply human, contributing to her lasting impact on Christian spirituality.
Prayers & Devotions
