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Teresa of Avila: A Life from Beginning to End
Discover the remarkable life of Teresa of Avila...Free BONUS Inside!The first female Doctor of the Church, Teresa of Ávila, was a visionary who took matters of reform into her own hands. Even when the church authorities came against her, she stood her ground and held fast to her convictions. In so doing, she managed to persuade the Catholic powers to come around to her point of view. Teresa was not someone who took “no” for an answer; she charted her own course in life. This book chronicles Teresa of Ávila’s tragedies and triumphs, both her agonies and her ecstasies. This is the incredible story of this stalwart warrior of the faith from beginning to end.Discover a plethora of topics such asEarly Life and LossTeresa’s Near-Fatal IllnessMortification and MiraclesThe Convent of Saint JosephFacing OppositionThe Interior CastleAnd much more!So if you want a concise and informative book on Teresa of Avila, simply scroll up and click the "Buy now" button for instant access!
30 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 11, 2021
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85 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
October 3, 2021
“Nada te turbe,
nada te espante,
todo se pasa,
Dios no se muda,
la paciencia
todo lo alcanza;
quien a Dios tiene
nada le falta.
Solo Dios basta”.
¿Mística, visionaria o enajenada? Posiblemente, un poco de las tres cosas, teniendo en cuenta el panorama religioso de la época (siglo XVI y una España ultra católica). La fundadora de la Orden de los Carmelitas Descalzos ha sido y sigue siendo una figura central del catolicismo. Una de las grandes maestras de la vida espiritual de la iglesia, y, junto con San Juan de la Cruz, la mayor representante de la mística cristiana.
Sus visiones y arrobamientos la hicieron célebre. Para bien y para mal. Ya en vida, muchos la consideraron santa, pero también tuvo enemigos poderosos que la trataban de enajenada. Afortunadamente para ella, sus valedores le permitieron lograr su sueño, y crear una orden diferente a las que existían en la época. No sin muchas dificultades. Pagó caro sus excesos en cuestiones de privación de alimentos, y su salud siempre se vio en peligro. Es por ello, y por las condiciones en las que vivió casi recluida, que muchos encuentren explicación a tanta visión y tanta “comunicación” con Dios. No es descartable. Sus continuas mortificaciones y el ambiente que se respiraba crean un perfecto caldo de cultivo para ese tipo de “experiencias”. Para la persona que las sufre y para las personas que viven con ella. Que, en su caso, hasta la vieron levitar.
Hoy, sus restos andan esparcidos por media España (la idolatría religiosa no tiene parangón), por no hablar del famoso episodio del brazo incorrupto que conservó Franco bajo su cama, para privarle de todo mal. Pero siempre será Ávila la ciudad que se asociará más íntimamente con ella. Allí nació y allí comenzó su importante obra. Sus escritos se han conservado, siendo “El castillo interior” la obra espiritual por la que será más conocida. Obra que yo he intentado leer, pero que no hay manera.
En definitiva, un personaje tremendo. Del que esta pequeña obra destaca sus momentos más relevantes, apenas unas pequeñas pinceladas. Interesante para no iniciados. Y, muy útil para mi reciente visita a Ávila, la ciudad amurallada.
nada te espante,
todo se pasa,
Dios no se muda,
la paciencia
todo lo alcanza;
quien a Dios tiene
nada le falta.
Solo Dios basta”.
¿Mística, visionaria o enajenada? Posiblemente, un poco de las tres cosas, teniendo en cuenta el panorama religioso de la época (siglo XVI y una España ultra católica). La fundadora de la Orden de los Carmelitas Descalzos ha sido y sigue siendo una figura central del catolicismo. Una de las grandes maestras de la vida espiritual de la iglesia, y, junto con San Juan de la Cruz, la mayor representante de la mística cristiana.
Sus visiones y arrobamientos la hicieron célebre. Para bien y para mal. Ya en vida, muchos la consideraron santa, pero también tuvo enemigos poderosos que la trataban de enajenada. Afortunadamente para ella, sus valedores le permitieron lograr su sueño, y crear una orden diferente a las que existían en la época. No sin muchas dificultades. Pagó caro sus excesos en cuestiones de privación de alimentos, y su salud siempre se vio en peligro. Es por ello, y por las condiciones en las que vivió casi recluida, que muchos encuentren explicación a tanta visión y tanta “comunicación” con Dios. No es descartable. Sus continuas mortificaciones y el ambiente que se respiraba crean un perfecto caldo de cultivo para ese tipo de “experiencias”. Para la persona que las sufre y para las personas que viven con ella. Que, en su caso, hasta la vieron levitar.
Hoy, sus restos andan esparcidos por media España (la idolatría religiosa no tiene parangón), por no hablar del famoso episodio del brazo incorrupto que conservó Franco bajo su cama, para privarle de todo mal. Pero siempre será Ávila la ciudad que se asociará más íntimamente con ella. Allí nació y allí comenzó su importante obra. Sus escritos se han conservado, siendo “El castillo interior” la obra espiritual por la que será más conocida. Obra que yo he intentado leer, pero que no hay manera.
En definitiva, un personaje tremendo. Del que esta pequeña obra destaca sus momentos más relevantes, apenas unas pequeñas pinceladas. Interesante para no iniciados. Y, muy útil para mi reciente visita a Ávila, la ciudad amurallada.
April 17, 2021
The author of this book did a wise thing; the author reminded the reader that St. Teresa lived in a time where religion was paramount in people's lives. In the introduction, the author states "... just about everyone around her lived and breathed religion." (page 1) In fact, it is impossible to believe any part of this story without knowing that very important point. I also liked the fact that the reader was reminded that this was a very different place and time (from today's secular world).
Being personally very familiar with Teresa's story, I was shocked to see how much traveling Teresa did while she was part of a cloistered convent (cloistered means never leaving the convent; doctors, family come to the nun). Even after Teresa opened a truly closed convent (St. Joseph's was much more closed than the Carmelites), she continued to travel.
The author presented the visions and activities of Teresa and reminded the reader that these actions were reported by others who were considered to be authorities or persons of high moral character. It is shocking to see how many people in the world tuberculosis killed over the centuries; Teresa was one of them.
Being personally very familiar with Teresa's story, I was shocked to see how much traveling Teresa did while she was part of a cloistered convent (cloistered means never leaving the convent; doctors, family come to the nun). Even after Teresa opened a truly closed convent (St. Joseph's was much more closed than the Carmelites), she continued to travel.
The author presented the visions and activities of Teresa and reminded the reader that these actions were reported by others who were considered to be authorities or persons of high moral character. It is shocking to see how many people in the world tuberculosis killed over the centuries; Teresa was one of them.
May 21, 2021
This goes all the way back to Spain in 1515 with the birth of Teresa. For some reason she felt when she was a child that she needed to die a martyr's death. Her mother died when she was eleven.
She ended up joining a convent and she suffered fairly major health problems for a lot of her life. The book goes into how she founded her own convents and what eventually probably caused her death. There's also a bibliography.
A major question is what caused her at such a very young age to think she needed to die and become a martyr? Also, I got the impression in the book that she was pretty extreme in her beliefs. Also, exactly why was she made a saint?
She ended up joining a convent and she suffered fairly major health problems for a lot of her life. The book goes into how she founded her own convents and what eventually probably caused her death. There's also a bibliography.
A major question is what caused her at such a very young age to think she needed to die and become a martyr? Also, I got the impression in the book that she was pretty extreme in her beliefs. Also, exactly why was she made a saint?
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April 21, 2021I was moved by her powerful insight into the relationship that can develop between man and God. I shall always treasure her philosophy of "the interior castle" and have been inspired to achieve that depth of trust in God.
April 22, 2021
Although I'm not Catholic and found some of the theology and motivations of Teresa of Avila hard to comprehend
I'm still amazed at what she did in a time women had little voice in the world
A interesting read
I'm still amazed at what she did in a time women had little voice in the world
A interesting read
September 20, 2021
Faith and knowledge are not rivals but partners in a corporation of ideas to the essence of things to find truths of things – that is, meanings of why they are as such. The golden combination of humanity and religiosity is seen as hard as the Apples of the Hesperides. That is why the Catholic Church has saints whose wholesomeness exemplifies the flock or beyond intrigued about their life in the terrestrial world. Perhaps none other than Saint Teresa of Avila piques my curiosity of all canonized saints. She was a passionate woman with brain and heart whose faith equaled the love of people with tenderness and understanding as to find the Supreme Knowledge of the Supreme Being in the Universe in the essence of things in everyday life. It’s no wonder she is also the Doctor of the Church.
My first encounter with this remarkable woman was not religious but academic; while researching women’s monasticism in the high medieval age during my college. Teresa saw many women who were too poor to pay dowry and didn’t want conjugal life found convents as shelters from social conventions without certain religious convictions. Consequently, convents became gossipy sonority houses populated with lackluster and jealous nuns backstabbing one another. The pitiable atmosphere of the convents used as a mere social institution propelled Teresa to establish the Carmelite Discalced – the Convent of Saint Joseph - with physical labor and disciplined monastic rules not without tenderness attended to individual nuns from all walks of life. She abolished land ownership and rent collections of and by nuns and instituted self-sufficiency of working without shoe but sandals, hence the name “Discalced.” The reformation within the Church was seismic but was a necessary medicinal receipt for the ailing monastic community.
What is most brilliant about Teresa was to create the idea of “The Interior Castle,” a philosophy that the creator of the Universe dwells inside the castle of our souls. That God is from within us, rather than the beyond betokens the idea of personal God with whom we can communicate and thus become a literal mirror image of him for what’s best in ourselves. In fact, this revolutionary philosophy is also linked to Giordano Bruno’s “The Memory Palace,” from which the knowledge needs to be unlocked to bestow upon us the power and joy of the knowledge from within. Further, it is related to the idea of the Nine Muses, whose inspirations are invoked from our minds, not from the Olympus or oracles. All of the mentioned above shares one origin in the cognitive technique employed in Christian meditation developed from the essential reading and contemplating the Bible. But Teresa’s Interior Castle is a beautiful poetic license to enrich power that is never esoterically prideful but blissfully joyful. Where Bruno’s Memory Palace and the Artist’s Nine Muses are not all-inclusive, Teresa’s Interior Castle is universal with tender charity and faith even if it is not necessarily Christian God.
Teresa of Avila was one brave and adventurous woman who was a prototype of feminist in the sense that she voiced out her mind to the patriarchal church authority in danger of being suspicious of heresy or witchcraft even in Catholic Spain, known for the Spanish Inquisition. But she was not a vociferous activist for abolishing the Church or would-be founder of an offshoot of the Church. Teresa was religious of the supreme kind. However, she never abandoned her femininity latticed with passion for helping a young priest in his spiritual crisis in war with physical temptation, tenderness for attending those in need of her consolation, and beauty that was both beautiful externally and internally. She shows us that a strong woman doesn’t need to shout out invective expletives or clamor for the reward for her damages in the name of womanhood when it is really for her sworn revenge. Aside from sectarian religious affiliations, Teresa of Avila deserves her reputation as a star in the Milky Way of the Great.
My first encounter with this remarkable woman was not religious but academic; while researching women’s monasticism in the high medieval age during my college. Teresa saw many women who were too poor to pay dowry and didn’t want conjugal life found convents as shelters from social conventions without certain religious convictions. Consequently, convents became gossipy sonority houses populated with lackluster and jealous nuns backstabbing one another. The pitiable atmosphere of the convents used as a mere social institution propelled Teresa to establish the Carmelite Discalced – the Convent of Saint Joseph - with physical labor and disciplined monastic rules not without tenderness attended to individual nuns from all walks of life. She abolished land ownership and rent collections of and by nuns and instituted self-sufficiency of working without shoe but sandals, hence the name “Discalced.” The reformation within the Church was seismic but was a necessary medicinal receipt for the ailing monastic community.
What is most brilliant about Teresa was to create the idea of “The Interior Castle,” a philosophy that the creator of the Universe dwells inside the castle of our souls. That God is from within us, rather than the beyond betokens the idea of personal God with whom we can communicate and thus become a literal mirror image of him for what’s best in ourselves. In fact, this revolutionary philosophy is also linked to Giordano Bruno’s “The Memory Palace,” from which the knowledge needs to be unlocked to bestow upon us the power and joy of the knowledge from within. Further, it is related to the idea of the Nine Muses, whose inspirations are invoked from our minds, not from the Olympus or oracles. All of the mentioned above shares one origin in the cognitive technique employed in Christian meditation developed from the essential reading and contemplating the Bible. But Teresa’s Interior Castle is a beautiful poetic license to enrich power that is never esoterically prideful but blissfully joyful. Where Bruno’s Memory Palace and the Artist’s Nine Muses are not all-inclusive, Teresa’s Interior Castle is universal with tender charity and faith even if it is not necessarily Christian God.
Teresa of Avila was one brave and adventurous woman who was a prototype of feminist in the sense that she voiced out her mind to the patriarchal church authority in danger of being suspicious of heresy or witchcraft even in Catholic Spain, known for the Spanish Inquisition. But she was not a vociferous activist for abolishing the Church or would-be founder of an offshoot of the Church. Teresa was religious of the supreme kind. However, she never abandoned her femininity latticed with passion for helping a young priest in his spiritual crisis in war with physical temptation, tenderness for attending those in need of her consolation, and beauty that was both beautiful externally and internally. She shows us that a strong woman doesn’t need to shout out invective expletives or clamor for the reward for her damages in the name of womanhood when it is really for her sworn revenge. Aside from sectarian religious affiliations, Teresa of Avila deserves her reputation as a star in the Milky Way of the Great.
April 18, 2021
Should only talk to angels
I don’t know what make of this biography. Most people are put away for speaking with god and blaming misfortune on devil’s.
How nice to be elevated to such importance.
I don’t know what make of this biography. Most people are put away for speaking with god and blaming misfortune on devil’s.
How nice to be elevated to such importance.
August 21, 2022
Written by Leona O. on Aug 11, 2022
A short e-book about the life of Saint Teresa of Avila, Spain.
Teresa Sanchez de Cepeda y Ahumada was born March 28, 1515. As a child she felt God talked to her and at the age of 20, she convinced one of her brothers to take her to the Carmelite Convent in Avika against her father's wishes.
Teresa founded many convents and monesteries in Spain. Some of her actions were not acceped by some of the nuns of the religious orders.
Teresa died October 4, 1582 or early the next morning. At this time Catholic Europe was changing from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar and removed the dates October 5-14 so her date of death would be either October 4 or October 15.
Introduction
Early Life and Loss
Teresa's Near-Fatal Illness
Mortification and Miracles
The Death of Her Father
Visions and Visitations
The Convent of Saint Joseph
Facing Opposition
Spreading the Message
The Interior Circle
Conclusion
Bibliography
Pope Gregory XV canonized her as a saint 40 years later.
A short e-book about the life of Saint Teresa of Avila, Spain.
Teresa Sanchez de Cepeda y Ahumada was born March 28, 1515. As a child she felt God talked to her and at the age of 20, she convinced one of her brothers to take her to the Carmelite Convent in Avika against her father's wishes.
Teresa founded many convents and monesteries in Spain. Some of her actions were not acceped by some of the nuns of the religious orders.
Teresa died October 4, 1582 or early the next morning. At this time Catholic Europe was changing from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar and removed the dates October 5-14 so her date of death would be either October 4 or October 15.
Introduction
Early Life and Loss
Teresa's Near-Fatal Illness
Mortification and Miracles
The Death of Her Father
Visions and Visitations
The Convent of Saint Joseph
Facing Opposition
Spreading the Message
The Interior Circle
Conclusion
Bibliography
Pope Gregory XV canonized her as a saint 40 years later.
April 1, 2023
I enjoyed this fascinating look at Teresa of Avila’s life. I had heard about her visions though I had to take a few things I read with a grain of salt.
I love Bernini’s famous sculpture “The ecstasy of St.Teresa,” and I was looking forward to learning more about her. She talked about the importance of prayer and meditation. She wrote about a contemplative life and the importance of looking within. One of her famous books is “The inner castle.” She was very influential especially later in her life.
I love Bernini’s famous sculpture “The ecstasy of St.Teresa,” and I was looking forward to learning more about her. She talked about the importance of prayer and meditation. She wrote about a contemplative life and the importance of looking within. One of her famous books is “The inner castle.” She was very influential especially later in her life.
March 24, 2024
Teresa of Avila lived a faith-filled and miraculous life. Her mother died when she was young and she was her father's favorite. She ran away from home to join a convent. She knew at a young age that she wanted to devote her heart and soul to God and she was rewarded by Him with a long life.
This short book contained just enough details about this remarkable woman. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in Catholicism, history, or Spain.
This short book contained just enough details about this remarkable woman. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in Catholicism, history, or Spain.
July 5, 2023
This book provides a concise overview of the life of St. Teresa of Avila, exploring her evolution from a devout child seeking martyrdom to the founder of her own religious order. It gives some interesting insights into her life, including the possibility that her religious visions may have resulted from temporal lobe epilepsy. It is a good starting off point for a more detailed study of her.
June 3, 2022
Saint Teresa of Avila
What a wonderful person to live her life in poverty for the devotion to and love of God. Her love of God led her to establish numerous contents throughout Spain.
What a wonderful person to live her life in poverty for the devotion to and love of God. Her love of God led her to establish numerous contents throughout Spain.
October 1, 2023
Inspiring saintly woman
This was an interesting book about an interesting woman of medieval Spain. She had tremendous energy and devotion to God. The writing style is very simple, I enjoyed the book.
This was an interesting book about an interesting woman of medieval Spain. She had tremendous energy and devotion to God. The writing style is very simple, I enjoyed the book.
October 15, 2025
Μια ολοκληρωμένη αφήγηση της ζωής της Teresa of Avila, των επιρροών, καθώς και των ανθρώπων με τους οποίους συναναστράφηκε στη ζωή της. Οι χαρές, οι λύπες, οι δοκιμασίες και το γεγονός οτι αποτελεί πρότυπο μέχρι σήμερα βρισκονται στο συντομο αυτο βιβλίο.
January 24, 2023
Good book!
A short version of St. Teresa’s life and ministry. Easy to read and understand. I highly recommend reading this book.
A short version of St. Teresa’s life and ministry. Easy to read and understand. I highly recommend reading this book.
June 29, 2024
Brief look at Teresa of avila life and work and why she was such a huge figure in the church as a whole.
March 30, 2025
Rated—G (my personal opinion based on content)
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews