What do you think?
Rate this book
The Collected Works in 3 vol.
The Collected Works of St. Teresa of Avila, Vol. 3
In 1573, while staying in Salamanca to assist her nuns in the task of establishing one of her seventeen monasteries, Teresa began composing the story of their foundation. The Book of Her Foundations comprises the major portion of Volume Three. This book not only tells the story of the establishment of her monasteries but, characteristic of Teresa, digresses into counsels on prayer, love, melancholy, virtuous living and dying, plus other teachings of the Mother Foundress. This book also has an excellent introduction, chronology, and map of Teresa's foundations and journeys. Five of her brief works, including her poetry, complete ICS Publications' third volume of her Collected Works. Includes general and biblical index.
482 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1946
34 people are currently reading
166 people want to read
About the author
Teresa de Ávila
573 books502 followersSaint Teresa of Jesús, also called Saint Teresa of Ávila, was a prominent Spanish mystic, Carmelite nun, and writer of the Counter Reformation. She was a reformer of the Carmelite Order and is considered to be, along with John of the Cross, a founder of the Discalced Carmelites. In 1970 she was named a Doctor of the Church by Pope Paul VI.
Teresa Sánchez de Cepeda Dávila y Ahumada Borned in Ávila, Spain, on March 28, 1515, St. Teresa was the daughter of a Toledo merchant and his second wife, who died when Teresa was 15, one of ten children. Shortly after this event, Teresa was entrusted to the care of the Augustinian nuns. After reading the letters of St. Jerome, Teresa resolved to enter a religious life. In 1535, she joined the Carmelite Order. She spent a number of relatively average years in the convent, punctuated by a severe illness that left her legs paralyzed for three years, but then experienced a vision of "the sorely wounded Christ" that changed her life forever.
From this point forward, Teresa moved into a period of increasingly ecstatic experiences in which she came to focus more and more sharply on Christ's passion. With these visions as her impetus, she set herself to the reformation of her order, beginning with her attempt to master herself and her adherence to the rule. Gathering a group of supporters, Teresa endeavored to create a more primitive type of Carmelite. From 1560 until her death, Teresa struggled to establish and broaden the movement of Discalced or shoeless Carmelites. During the mid-1560s, she wrote the Way of Perfection and the Meditations on the Canticle. In 1567, she met St. John of the Cross, who she enlisted to extend her reform into the male side of the Carmelite Order. Teresa died in 1582.
St. Teresa left to posterity many new convents, which she continued founding up to the year of her death. She also left a significant legacy of writings, which represent important benchmarks in the history of Christian mysticism. These works include the Way of Perfection and the Interior Castle. She also left an autobiography, the Life of St. Teresa of Ávila.
Teresa Sánchez de Cepeda Dávila y Ahumada Borned in Ávila, Spain, on March 28, 1515, St. Teresa was the daughter of a Toledo merchant and his second wife, who died when Teresa was 15, one of ten children. Shortly after this event, Teresa was entrusted to the care of the Augustinian nuns. After reading the letters of St. Jerome, Teresa resolved to enter a religious life. In 1535, she joined the Carmelite Order. She spent a number of relatively average years in the convent, punctuated by a severe illness that left her legs paralyzed for three years, but then experienced a vision of "the sorely wounded Christ" that changed her life forever.
From this point forward, Teresa moved into a period of increasingly ecstatic experiences in which she came to focus more and more sharply on Christ's passion. With these visions as her impetus, she set herself to the reformation of her order, beginning with her attempt to master herself and her adherence to the rule. Gathering a group of supporters, Teresa endeavored to create a more primitive type of Carmelite. From 1560 until her death, Teresa struggled to establish and broaden the movement of Discalced or shoeless Carmelites. During the mid-1560s, she wrote the Way of Perfection and the Meditations on the Canticle. In 1567, she met St. John of the Cross, who she enlisted to extend her reform into the male side of the Carmelite Order. Teresa died in 1582.
St. Teresa left to posterity many new convents, which she continued founding up to the year of her death. She also left a significant legacy of writings, which represent important benchmarks in the history of Christian mysticism. These works include the Way of Perfection and the Interior Castle. She also left an autobiography, the Life of St. Teresa of Ávila.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
December 18, 2013
The book for the most part consists of The Book of Her Foundations, all the details of which are rather difficult to retain especially the way St. Teresa writes jumping around. The parts that still stick with me are the stories of miracles regarding the ladies wishing to become nuns.
October 10, 2016
The Feast Day of St. Teresa of Avila is October 15th. Today, I wrap up my review of her three-volume collected works, available from ICS Publications, by telling you about the third volume. Within this volume, we have her major work - The Book of Her Foundations and several of her minor works - The Constitutions, On Making the Visitation, A Satirical Critique, and Response to a Spiritual Challenge. We also have 27 of her poems printed in this work. Like the other two volumes, the translators are Fr. Kieran Kavanaugh and Fr. Otilio Rodriguez.
The Book of Her Foundations is one of St. Teresa of Avila's lesser-known and lesser-read works. The main reason for this is that a lot of people view it as a non-spiritual work. While it may not be one in the strictest sense, we can see St. Teresa of Avila growing in holiness through her persecutions, which were plentiful. She encountered gossip, lawsuits, unethical businessmen, and general bureaucracy. In this work, we see that it is possible to grow in holiness in all aspects of your life. The Constitutions can be viewed as her rule. In this minor work, St. Teresa of Avila gives instruction on spiritual matters, receiving Communion, fasting, taking care of the sick, etc. The other minor works in this book show her obedience in On Making the Visitation, her personality in A Satirical Critique, and her spirituality in Response to a Spiritual Challenge. The poems show a level of beauty in writing that one would expect from St. Teresa of Avila. What is really nice about them is that the original language and translation are side-by-side. This isn't beneficial for me, but those who speak Spanish will probably be able to find more beauty in the original poems, as translations (especially of poetry) are always lacking.
This was not my favorite volume of her three-volume set, but it is essential reading for any serious student of St. Teresa of Avila. When it comes to writings of the saints, you do yourself a disservice if you merely cherry-pick what works of theirs you want to read. If you find a saint, who you admire, and whose works you have read some, I encourage you to read through as much of their works as are available for you to read. In addition to her complete works, ICS Publications also had made available a two-volume set of her collected letters, as well as about ten other works of great minds who help unpack the beauty in her tougher works. This publisher has clearly set themselves apart as the expert on St. Teresa of Avila, St. John of the Cross, and other Carmelites. I encourage you to always turn to them first if you are ever looking for works by these saints or companion volumes for their writings.
The Book of Her Foundations is one of St. Teresa of Avila's lesser-known and lesser-read works. The main reason for this is that a lot of people view it as a non-spiritual work. While it may not be one in the strictest sense, we can see St. Teresa of Avila growing in holiness through her persecutions, which were plentiful. She encountered gossip, lawsuits, unethical businessmen, and general bureaucracy. In this work, we see that it is possible to grow in holiness in all aspects of your life. The Constitutions can be viewed as her rule. In this minor work, St. Teresa of Avila gives instruction on spiritual matters, receiving Communion, fasting, taking care of the sick, etc. The other minor works in this book show her obedience in On Making the Visitation, her personality in A Satirical Critique, and her spirituality in Response to a Spiritual Challenge. The poems show a level of beauty in writing that one would expect from St. Teresa of Avila. What is really nice about them is that the original language and translation are side-by-side. This isn't beneficial for me, but those who speak Spanish will probably be able to find more beauty in the original poems, as translations (especially of poetry) are always lacking.
This was not my favorite volume of her three-volume set, but it is essential reading for any serious student of St. Teresa of Avila. When it comes to writings of the saints, you do yourself a disservice if you merely cherry-pick what works of theirs you want to read. If you find a saint, who you admire, and whose works you have read some, I encourage you to read through as much of their works as are available for you to read. In addition to her complete works, ICS Publications also had made available a two-volume set of her collected letters, as well as about ten other works of great minds who help unpack the beauty in her tougher works. This publisher has clearly set themselves apart as the expert on St. Teresa of Avila, St. John of the Cross, and other Carmelites. I encourage you to always turn to them first if you are ever looking for works by these saints or companion volumes for their writings.
November 28, 2022
Teresa's practical wisdom and the constant interplay between grace and human effort are in full display in the narrative of her Foundations (and in her usual tangents which last whole chapters at a time). Teresa documents her hesitations and reasonable qualms which come up at every new foundation only to tell how God repeatedly leads her and the communities she founded through difficulties to produce spiritual fruit.
Her short works (to include the Constitutions of the Discalced Carmelites) are of great interest and at times give a unique angle on Teresa's personality. The poetry that ends this collection soars at (a few) particular moments, but it would appear this saint was too many other things already to also be a great poet. Everybody knows to go to John for poetry anyways.
Her short works (to include the Constitutions of the Discalced Carmelites) are of great interest and at times give a unique angle on Teresa's personality. The poetry that ends this collection soars at (a few) particular moments, but it would appear this saint was too many other things already to also be a great poet. Everybody knows to go to John for poetry anyways.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews