Nearly 1,00,000 flock to see Spanish saint's remains 440 years after her death

Indian Express

26-05-2025

Nearly 1,00,000 people travelled to the town of Alba de Tormes in western Spain this month to see the remains of Saint Teresa of Ávila, on rare display more than 440 years after her death.
Inside a small silver casket, about 4.2 feet long, visitors saw her skull dressed in religious clothing. Other parts of her body are missing and are kept as relics in churches across Europe. Her heart is stored in another part of the same church.
'It gave me a feeling of fulfilment, of joy, and of sadness,' said Guiomar Sánchez, who came from Madrid with her daughters on Sunday, the last full day of the exhibition. She said her mother believed deeply in Saint Teresa and admired her writings. 'Seeing her was an inexplicable experience,' she told the Associated Press (AP).
On Monday morning, church officials closed the casket and led a procession through the town. Pilgrims followed as the remains were carried through the streets. It is not known when the remains will be shown again. The last public display was in 1914, and it lasted for one day.
Miguel Ángel González, head of the Discalced Carmelites in Salamanca, said around 1,00,000 people came to view the saint over two weeks. The event drew nuns, families, and many others from around the world. Some visitors were seen crying in front of the relics. One group of nuns from India wiped away tears while standing by the casket.
Gregoria Martín López, 75, climbed to an upper part of the church to get a better view. 'The saint for me is a thing of great strength. If they close her, I can say that I saw her,' she said. As organ music played, she blew a kiss toward the relic.
Saint Teresa, who died in 1582, is known for her spiritual writings and her role in reforming the Carmelite religious order. José Calvo, a theology professor at the Pontifical University of Salamanca, told AP that her reflections on her relationship with God were once considered controversial but are now seen as 'a deep exploration of spiritual life.'
Teresa is an important figure from Spain's religious history. Former Spanish dictator Francisco Franco was said to have kept one of her hands beside his bed. Last year, Pope Leo XIV visited her birthplace in Ávila, about an hour away from Alba de Tormes.
Her remains have even become the subject of internet memes, often focusing on the fact that parts of her body are kept in different places. But church leaders said the public display is a traditional way of showing respect to saints.
'This was just something people always did when they thought someone might be a saint,' said Cathleen Medwick, author of Teresa of Avila: The Progress of a Soul. 'And the fact that her body hadn't decayed very much was also considered a sign of her sanctity,' she said.
Saint Teresa's influence continues, centuries after her death, through her writings and the devotion of many followers who still come to see her.