Saint Teresa of Ávila

Saint Teresa of Ávila
Saint Teresa of Ávila by Peter Paul Rubens
Virgin, Mystic, Ecstatic, Doctor of the Church
Born	(1515-03-28)28 March 1515 Gotarrendura, Ávila, Crown of Castile (today Spain)
Died	4 October 1582(1582-10-04) (aged 67) Alba de Tormes, Salamanca, Spain
Venerated in	Roman Catholic Church Lutheran Church Anglican Communion
Beatified	24 April 1614, Rome by Pope Paul V
Canonized	12 March 1622, Rome by Pope Gregory XV
Major shrine	Convent of the Annunciation, Alba de Tormes, Spain
Feast	15 October
Attributes	Habit of the Discalced Carmelites, Book and Quill, arrow-pierced heart
Patronage	Bodily illnesses; headaches; chess; lacemakers; laceworkers; loss of parents; people in need of grace; people in religious orders; people ridiculed for their piety; Požega, Croatia; sick people; sickness; Spain; Talisay City, Cebu

Saint Teresa of Ávila, also called Saint Teresa of Jesus, baptized as Teresa Sánchez de Cepeda y Ahumada (28 March 1515 – 4 October 1582), was a prominent Spanish mystic, Roman Catholic saint, Carmelite nun and author during the Counter Reformation, and theologian of contemplative life through mental prayer. She was a reformer in the Carmelite Order of her time and the movement she initiated, later joined by Saint John of the Cross, eventually led to the establishment of the Discalced Carmelites, though neither she nor Saint John were alive when the two orders separated.

In 1622, forty years after her death, she was canonized by Pope Gregory XV, and on 27 September 1970 was named a Doctor of the Church by Pope Paul VI. Her books, which include her autobiography (The Life of Teresa of Jesus) and her seminal work El Castillo Interior (trans.: The Interior Castle), are an integral part of Spanish Renaissance literature as well as Christian mysticism and Christian meditation practices. She also wrote Camino de Perfección (trans.: The Way of Perfection).

After her death, Saint Teresa was considered a candidate to become a national patron saint in Spain. A Santero image of the Immaculate Conception of El Viejo, said to have been sent with one of her brothers to Peru, Canonically crowned by Pope John Paul II on 28 December 1989 at the Shrine of El Viejo. Pious Catholic beliefs also associate Saint Teresa with the Infant Jesus of Prague with claims of former ownership and devotion.