The Life of Saint Teresa of Ávila by Herself by Teresa of Ávila

She also began to experience visions and voices from God which told her she would be damned if she did not repent of her worldly ways. Voices and Visions.Īround the time Teresa was forty she became ill and suffered from paralysis. Teresa seems to have initiallyĭone the same, but as she grew older she became more serious about her pursuit of the religious life. Many of the women in the convent entertained men and indulged a taste for luxurious living. To make ends meet, too, the sisters admitted into their orders women from wealthy families in the vicinity, some of whom lacked a sense of vocation. Inadequate funds forced many of the nuns to spend part of each year visiting their families. The convent she entered at the time was not a model of religious observance, having a widespread reputation for lax discipline. Despite her father's opposition, she decided to become a nun, entering a Carmelite convent in 1535, and taking her vows two years later. Jerome and underwent a conversion experience. One of ten children, she lost her mother when she was thirteen, and her subsequent misbehavior landed Teresa in a convent school. Teresa never had formal schooling but she learned to read and write, practicing both skills voraciously throughout her life. Old Christians were those who had lived under Islamic rule in medieval Spain. Her father was the son of converted Jews, while her mother's family was Old Christian. Teresa was the daughter of a merchant in the city of Avila in Spain.

The Life of Saint Teresa of Ávila by Herself by Teresa of Ávila