Teresa of Ávila, Saint

Teresa of Ávila, Saint

 orig. Teresa de Cepeda y Ahumada

(born March 28, 1515, Ávila, Spain—died Oct. 4, 1582, Alba de Tormes; canonized 1622; feast day October 15) Spanish Carmelite nun, mystic, and saint. After entering a convent around the age of 20, she fell seriously ill. She underwent a religious awakening in 1555 and, despite her frail health, initiated the Carmelite Reform, leading the order's return to its original austere practices, including poverty and seclusion from the world. Against some opposition, she opened new convents (the first in 1562) under the reformed order throughout Spain. St. John of the Cross joined her in her efforts, establishing reformed Carmelite monasteries. Her doctrines have been accepted as the classical exposition of the contemplative life, and her spiritual writings are still widely read today, among them The Interior Castle (1588). In 1970 she became the first woman elevated to the position of Doctor of the Church.