Born in the Castilian town of Avila in 1515, Teresa entered the Carmelite convent of the Incarnation when she was twenty-one.
Teresa always denied her own s.
She went on to found seventeen Carmelite monasteries throughout Spain.
Tormented by illness, doubts and self-recrimination, she gradually came to recognize the power of prayer and contemplation--her spiritual enlightenment was intensified by many visions and mystical experiences, including the piercing of her heart by a spear of divine love.
Born in the Castilian town of Avila in 1515, Teresa entered the Carmelite convent of the Incarnation when she was twenty-one