St Teresa of Avila

The birth of Saint Teresa

Mar 28, 1515

Saint Teresa of Avila was born in March 28th 1515 in Avila, Castile, Spain.

becoming a martyr

Jan 1, 1522

Attempts to run away with brother Rodrigo to the land of the Moors to become a martyr of the church.

family life of Teresa

Jan 1, 1530

When she was 15 her mother died (mothers name was Beatriz) she had three other sibling, but Teresa’s mother was the second wife of her father, she had four other sibling from her father’s first wife, there were 10 children. Her father's side a family of opposites (converts from Judaism to Christianity).

Teresa wanted to be educated

Jan 1, 1531

When Teresa turned 16 she was sent to studied as a nun in the carmelite monastery to be educated, but she left a year and a half and when back to her father because of a disease.

Running away

Jan 1, 1535

Runs away (against father's will) to a Carmelite convent incarnacion de Avila to became a nun.

Becoming a nun

Nov 2, 1535

She entered the Carmelite monastery of the incarnation in Avila, Spain to become a nun, on November 2 1535.

life as a nun

Mar 6, 1537

There were too many nuns and the monastery was too poor. Visitors had to be welcomed because supporters were needed, the nuns had to leave to make home visits in order to get medical care, and sometimes even for food. Teresa left three times to get treatment for an illness, to care for her father when he was dying. When she was at the monastery, she, like the other nuns, met often with visitors.

Canonized

Mar 6, 1547

She was canonized only at 35 years of age after her death in the year 1547.

Exploring Spain

Mar 6, 1562

Teresa founded her first monastery, St. Joseph, in Avila, and completed Libro de la vida (Book of the life). At 47, she thought she would spend the rest of her life at St. Joseph and write no more. She was wrong: for the next 20 years, she traveled throughout Spain, starting basics both for nuns and for friars, and writing.

Books for the nuns

Mar 6, 1566

Teresa began to write down those spiritual directions that she would have given all of her nuns in one place. She wrote Camino de perfeccion (Way of perfection) in about 1566, to tell the nuns how to reach their goal; she wrote Castillo interior/ Las moradas (Interior castle/ the mansions) by 1580, to tell them about contemplative prayer; she wrote Las Fundaciones (Foundations) from 1573 to 1582, She also wrote for her nun’s meditations, prayers, and hymns.

Death of Teresa

Oct 4, 1582

October 4, 1582 (aged 67) died of natural causes of death.