The Reformation era

Teresa of Avila

1515 to 1582 · Spain

Teresa of Avila (1515 to 1582) was a Spanish Carmelite nun, mystic, and reformer, one of the greatest writers on prayer in Christian history. Dissatisfied with a lax convent, she founded a stricter, barefoot branch of the Carmelites and wrote with startling honesty about the soul’s journey toward union with God. In 1970 she became one of the first two women named a Doctor of the Church.

Life and context

Teresa was born to a noble family in Avila, Spain, in 1515 and entered a Carmelite convent as a young woman. She endured years of serious illness and long spiritual dryness before a deeper conversion around 1554. She experienced visions and mystical raptures, later famously depicted in Bernini’s sculpture, yet she remained intensely practical. Against fierce opposition she reformed her order, founding many houses of the Discalced (barefoot) Carmelites and working closely with John of the Cross. She died in 1582.

What she taught and wrote

Her masterwork, The Interior Castle (1577), pictures the soul as a castle of seven mansions with Christ the King dwelling at the center, and maps the journey of prayer inward toward union with him. She also wrote The Way of Perfection, her Life, and the Foundations. Her wisdom is famously down-to-earth; the widely quoted lines ‘Christ has no body now but yours’ and ‘let nothing disturb you, God alone suffices’ are associated with her.

What her witness points us to

Teresa understood prayer not as technique but as friendship, ‘an intimate sharing between friends, taking time frequently to be alone with him who we know loves us.’ She points to a Christ who is not distant but present, waiting to be known in the depths of an ordinary life.

Frequently asked questions

Who was Teresa of Avila?

Teresa of Avila (1515 to 1582) was a Spanish Carmelite nun, mystic, and reformer. She founded the Discalced Carmelites, wrote classic works on prayer, and in 1970 became one of the first two women named a Doctor of the Church.

What did Teresa of Avila write?

Her best-known works are The Interior Castle (1577), The Way of Perfection, her autobiographical Life, and the Foundations, all dealing with prayer and the soul's journey toward union with God.

What is The Interior Castle?

The Interior Castle is Teresa's masterpiece, picturing the soul as a castle of seven mansions with Christ dwelling at the center, and describing the deepening stages of prayer that lead toward union with God.