Latest news with #SaintTeresa
Fox News
27-05-2025
- General
- Fox News
Rare glimpse: 440-year-old remains of Saint Teresa draw 100,000 pilgrims to Spain
Catholics made a pilgrimage to a town in Spain to see the more than 440-year-old body of Saint Teresa of Avila. The faith-filled journey took believers to Alba de Tormes, where the Spanish saint is buried, to see her remains. The Catholic Church displayed Teresa for the first time in over 110 years. According to the Associated Press, Miguel Angel Gonzalez, the prior of the Discalced Carmelites of Salamanca, said that 100,000 people visited the saint over two weeks. Visitors from around the world made the trip to see this rare occurrence. Guiomar Sánchez, who traveled from Madrid with her two daughters on Sunday, told the Associated Press that "It gave me a feeling of fulfillment, of joy, and of sadness." A group of nuns from India had to wipe away tears as they stood by the side of the casket looking at the saint. Pope Leo XIV himself took a trip to Teresa's hometown of Avilia, which is an hour's drive from Alba de Tormes. The casket of the patron saint of headache sufferers is about four feet long. What visitors see is Teresa's skull dressed in a habit with vestments covering the rest of the body. Teresa's heart is kept in a jar in another part of the church while her fingers, jaw, hand are kept in other churches as relics across Europe. Teresa was born Teresa Ali Fatim Corella Sanchez de Capeda y Ahumada in Avila in 1515. She was sent to a convent at the age of 16 by her father and eventually founded the Discalced Carmelites. She passed away in 1582 at the age of 67. She was canonized in1622 and made a Doctor of the Church in 1970 and is one of two women ever to receive the title. Once the casket was resealed, it was carried through the streets with visitors following the procession. It is currently unclear how long, or if ever again, the saint's remains will be put on display for believers to see. The Associated Press contributed to this article.
Sky News
26-05-2025
- General
- Sky News
Display of saint's remains draws huge crowds - but bishop says it 'encourages morbid curiosity'
Tens of thousands of people have flocked to see the remains of a revered Spanish saint, more than 440 years after her death, prompting debate over whether such displays "encourage morbid curiosity". Catholic worshippers in their droves have travelled to Alba de Tormes in western Spain to view relics of Saint Teresa of Avila, a 16th-century religious reformer. Faithful lined up to see her, silent and wonderstruck as the remains of the mystic were put on display in a silver casket for the first time in more than 100 years. "It gave me a feeling of fulfilment, of joy, and of sadness," said Guiomar Sanchez, who travelled from Madrid with her two daughters on Sunday, the last full day of the exhibit. "Seeing her was an inexplicable experience," she added, praising the saint as being ahead of her time. After weeks on display, the casket of Saint Teresa was resealed on Monday and carried through the streets with pilgrims following behind her. Saint Teresa, who died in 1582, 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 Jose Calvo, a professor of theology at the Pontifical University of Salamanca who specialises in Medieval history. Her admirers include Spanish dictator General Francisco Franco, who was rumoured to have kept a relic of the saint's hand next to his bed, and new Pope Leo XIV, who visited her birthplace last year. Some worshippers this month were visibly moved. On Sunday, a group of nuns from India wept as they looked upon the saint's remains behind a glass case. But the exhibition has also provoked debate over the appropriateness of displaying the remains of long-dead people in public. "It is not a good idea to display the body of Saint Teresa in this way," said nearby Bishop of Salamanca, Jose Luis Retana. "It only serves to encourage people's morbid curiosity." But local 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 a book about Saint Teresa. "And the fact that her body hadn't decayed very much was also considered a sign of her sanctity," she added.
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Display of saint's remains draws huge crowds - but bishop says it 'encourages morbid curiosity'
Tens of thousands of people have flocked to see the remains of a revered Spanish saint, more than 440 years after her death, prompting debate over whether such displays "encourage morbid curiosity". Catholic worshippers in their droves have travelled to Alba de Tormes in western to view relics of Saint Teresa of Avila, a 16th-century religious reformer. Faithful lined up to see her, silent and wonderstruck as the remains of the mystic were put on display in a silver casket for the first time in more than 100 years. "It gave me a feeling of fulfilment, of joy, and of sadness," said Guiomar Sanchez, who travelled from Madrid with her two daughters on Sunday, the last full day of the exhibit. "Seeing her was an inexplicable experience," she added, praising the saint as being ahead of her time. After weeks on display, the casket of Saint Teresa was resealed on Monday and carried through the streets with pilgrims following behind her. Saint Teresa, who died in 1582, 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 Jose Calvo, a professor of theology at the Pontifical University of Salamanca who specialises in Medieval history. Her admirers include Spanish dictator General Francisco Franco, who was rumoured to have kept a relic of the saint's hand next to his bed, and new , who visited her birthplace last year. Read more from Sky News: Some worshippers this month were visibly moved. On Sunday, a group of nuns from India wept as they looked upon the saint's remains behind a glass case. But the exhibition has also provoked debate over the appropriateness of displaying the remains of long-dead people in public. "It is not a good idea to display the body of Saint Teresa in this way," said nearby Bishop of Salamanca, Jose Luis Retana. "It only serves to encourage people's morbid curiosity." But local 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 a book about Saint Teresa. "And the fact that her body hadn't decayed very much was also considered a sign of her sanctity," she added.
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.
Washington Post
26-05-2025
- General
- Washington Post
Tens of thousands flock to see a Spanish saint's remains more than 440 years after her death
ALBA DE TORMES, Spain — They lined up to see her, silent and wonderstruck: Inside an open silver coffin was Saint Teresa of Ávila, more than 440 years after her death. Catholic worshippers have been flocking to Alba de Tormes, a town ringed by rolling pastures in western Spain where the remains of the Spanish saint, mystic and 16th-century religious reformer were on display this month.
