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The Independent
26-05-2025
- General
- The Independent
Tens of thousands flock to see corpse of Spanish saint more than 440 years after death
Hundreds of Catholic worshippers flocked to the small Spanish town of Alba de Tormes this month to witness a remarkable sight: the remains of Saint Teresa of Ávila, lying in an open silver coffin more than four centuries after her death. The saint, mystic, and 16th-century religious reformer, drew silent, wonderstruck crowds who lined up to pay their respects. What is visible is a skull dressed in a habit with vestments covering other parts of the body, not all of which is intact. The saint's heart is kept in another part of the church, officials said. Other body parts are kept as relics — fingers, a hand and a jaw — in churches across Europe. Teresa's remains have also spawned reaction online about the macabre nature of crowding around her centuries-old skull. In Alba de Tormes, church officials and experts downplayed such reactions, saying the display was nothing out of the ordinary for how Catholics have revered their saints for centuries. 'It was just something people always did when they thought somebody might be a saint,' said Cathleen Medwick, who wrote the book '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," Medwick added. 'It gave me a feeling of fulfillment, of joy, and of sadness,' said Guiomar Sánchez, who traveled from Madrid with her two daughters on Sunday, the last full day of the exhibit. A map of Alba de Tormes: Inspired by her mother's belief in the Carmelite nun, Sánchez praised the mystic's writings as being ahead of her time. Sánchez said she also came in part to honor her mother. 'Seeing her was an inexplicable experience,' Sánchez added. On Monday morning, the coffin of the saint who died in 1582 was resealed and carried through the town streets, with pilgrims following the procession. It is unclear how many years — or decades — will pass before the church once again makes St. Teresa's remains visible to the public. Teresa was last displayed in 1914, when devotees had a single day to see the saint. This time, the display drew almost 100,000 visitors over two weeks, said Miguel Ángel González, the prior of the Discalced Carmelites of Salamanca. The coffin that holds the saint's remains is barely 1.3 meters (4 feet) long. Teresa is a towering figure from Spain 's Golden Age and 16th-century Counter-Reformation. Her explorations of the inner life and meditations on her relationship with God were controversial, yet they have been held up over the centuries as a 'profound treatise on spirituality," said José Calvo, a professor of theology at the Pontifical University of Salamanca who specializes in Medieval history. Many have worshipped her. Former Spanish dictator Gen. Francisco Franco is believed to have kept a relic of the saint's hand next to his bed. Last September, the newly elected Pope Leo XIV visited the saint's birthplace in Avila, an hour's drive from Alba de Tormes. Some worshippers this month were visibly moved. On Sunday, a group of nuns from India wiped away tears as they stood by the side of the coffin and looked at the saint's remains behind a glass case. Gregoria Martín López, 75, climbed to an elevated part of the church behind the altar, hoping to get a better view from above of the diminutive saint's skull. 'The saint for me is a thing of great strength. If they close her, I can say that I saw her,' Martín said and with tears in her eyes, blew a kiss down to Teresa's relic as organ music filled the space.
Fox News
12-05-2025
- Health
- Fox News
Corpse of 16th-century Catholic saint found 'perfectly preserved' goes on display, astonishing worshippers
WARNING: This article contains graphic images. Reader discretion is advised. The well-preserved body of an early modern saint was put on display in Spain on Sunday, months after she was discovered "miraculously incorrupt" last year. St. Teresa of Jesus, also called St. Teresa of Avila, was a Discalced Carmelite nun who was born in 1515 and died in 1582. This weekend, her body was put on public display in Alba de Tormes, Spain, for the first time since 1914. Pictures show Catholics visibly taken aback by the display, which was part of the opening ceremony of public veneration, on Sunday. Observers were seen covering their mouths, crying and praying at the sight of the Spanish saint. The body of St. Teresa was dressed in a nun's habit during the showing. Though the remains appeared mostly skeletal, certain areas appeared extremely well-preserved, including her foot. In September, officials from the Diocese of Avila opened St. Teresa's tomb and reported that she appeared exactly the same as when her tomb was first exhumed in 1914. "The uncovered parts, which are the face and foot, are the same as they were in 1914," Fr. Marco Chiesa said at the time. "There is no color, there is no skin color, because the skin is mummified, but it is seen, especially in the middle of the face." He added, "[It] looks good. Expert doctors see Teresa's face almost clearly." Researchers were also able to uncover insight into the female saint's medical history, as she had suffered from chronic pain that eventually rendered her immobile. Chiesa found calcareous spines, or heel spurs, that "made walking almost impossible" for St. Teresa. The Catholic official said, "Sometimes, looking at a body, you discover more than the person had [spoken about]." He added, "She walked [to] Alba de Tormes and then died, but her desire was to continue and move forward, despite the physical defects." In March, Spanish newspaper Salamanca RTV Al Día reported that the Discalced Carmelites received a 53-page preliminary analysis of the saint's condition, which a professor described as "perfectly preserved." "The right foot, left hand, heart and left arm are perfectly preserved, with intact skin, subcutaneous tissues and muscles in place and no signs of degradation," Italian anthropology professor Luigi Capasso said to the outlet. Preserved strands of brown hair were also reported by officials, though they appeared to be covered by the nun's headdress on Sunday. The saint also still retains one right eyelid and a dark iris, along with nasal tissue, according to Salamanca RTV Al Día. Officials believe that St. Teresa remained in such extraordinary condition due to the dry atmosphere of her tomb. Excessive moisture typically accelerates the decomposing process, and Capasso reported that he had taken care to "block any future degradation, mechanical or biological." "This preservation, more than 400 years after her death, transmits a serenity that reflects how she faced her departure," the professor said. "It is a truly unique natural phenomenon."
