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. Teresa many gifts in her earthly life and this book can help someone to understand the gifts of the holy spirit. The autobiography, written before 1567, under the direction of her confessor, fr pedro. My soul at once becomes recollected and i enter the state of quiet or that of rapture, so that i can use none of my faculties and senses.
The nook book ebook of the the letters of saint teresa of avila by st. Discover librarianselected research resources on st. Teresa lays out the foundation for an ideal journey of faith. Project gutenberg offers 61745 free ebooks for kindle, ipad, nook, android, and iphone. The book of my life, a new translation by mirabai starr, is the first complete translation to be done by a woman. Her written contributions, which include her autobiography, the life of teresa of jesus and her seminal. Inspired by her vision of the soul as a diamond in the shape. Thefourthstateofprayerthegreatdignityofthesoul raisedtoitbyourlordattainableonearth,not byourmerit,butbythegoodnessofourlord xix. They are nice to have and learn about what st teresa says about prayer. Teresa of avila exclamations or meditations of the soul on its god by st. Saint teresa of avila was born in 1515 in avila, spain to a wealthy and prominent family. This mystic book is as inspirational and enlightening today as it was when it was first written. Teresa wrote the way of perfection at the request of her nuns who were eager to learn about.
This document has been generated from xsl extensible stylesheet language source with renderx xep formatter, version 3. Teresa of jesus, the founder of the carmelite reform, wrote many great spiritual works, containing a doctrine which encompasses the whole. Everything is stilled, and the soul is left in a state of great quiet and deep satisfaction. Discover book depositorys huge selection of st teresa of avila books online. The life of st teresa of avila by herself classics and millions of other books are available for amazon kindle. Written from palencia in may, 1581, and addressed to don alonzo velasquez, bishop of osma, who had been when canon of toledo, one of the saint s confessors 5 the life of st. Teresa was the daughter of a toledo merchant and his second wife, who died when teresa was 15, one of ten children. Less than twenty years before teresa was born in 1515, columbus opened up the western hemisphere to european colonization.
The interior castle, also titled the mansions, is a classic work of christian mysticism by st. Books by teresa, of avila, saint sorted by popularity project. Teresa of avila is my favorite saint and i enjoyed this little book, which is mainly comprised of quotes from and about her. What were the names of the books written by saint teresa of avila. Saint teresa, began to write the interior castle on june 2, 1577, trinity sunday, and completed it on the eve of st. Read download the life of st teresa of avila by herself. Teresa of jesus, of the order of our lady of carmel by teresa free ebook project gutenberg. Born in the castilian town of avila in 1515, teresa entered the carmelite convent of the incarnation when she was twentyone. The way of perfection is a practical guide to prayer setting forth the saint s counsels. Teresa wrote this memoir at the behest of her confessor. Saint teresa of avila, also called saint teresa of jesus, was a prominent spanish mystic, carmelite nun, and writer of the counter. Teresa of avila has 207 books on goodreads with 31648 ratings. Teresa of avila audio books sort by titles per page. Saint teresa of avila, spanish nun, one of the great mystics, reformers, and religious women of the roman catholic church.
Carmelite book studies the book of the foundations st. Published in 1588, the text serves as a practical guide. This is a book about prayer written by saint teresa of avila, a 16th century carmelite nun, mystic and doctor of the church. The life of saint teresa of avila by herself is the autobiographical account of saint teresa of avila, a prominent 16th century spanish mystic, carmelite nun, theologian, and writer of the counter reformation. Download and read online for free ebooks written by teresa of avila saint.
This book is part of a three book collection of the writings of st teresa of avila. In the interior castle, carmelite nun, mystic and patron saint of spain teresa of avila uses the metaphor of a giant crystal castle to explain her theory of the soul and the various stages it passes through as it progresses towards god. Selected writings of teresa of avila upper room spiritual classics. Teresa of avila in this landmark of christian mysticism, the revered carmelite nun presents moving accounts of her profound religious experiences and ultimate union with god. Teresa of avila table of contents the book of the foundations.
Saint teresa of avila, also called saint teresa of jesus, was a prominent spanish mystic, carmelite nun, and writer of the counter reformation. About the life of saint teresa of avila by herself. Teresa of jesus, of the order of our lady of saint teresa of. Teresa of avila wrote interior castle under the power of obedience xxiii towards the end of her life, starting the book on june 2, 1577, and finishing it on november. I found starr s interpretation and choices to be right on target with who i perceived teresa to be. Teresa of avila author of interior castle goodreads.
In this book, she presents a model of the human soul as a castle cut from a single diamond. It was the 16th century, a time of turmoil and reform. Saint teresa of avila, also called saint teresa of jesus was a prominent spanish mystic, roman catholic saint, carmelite nun, author, and theologian of contemplative life through mental prayer. Teresa of avila lived and wrote almost four centuries ago, her superbly inspiring classic on the practice of prayer is as fresh and meaningful today as it was when she first wrote it. Free kindle book and epub digitized and proofread by project gutenberg. Teresa through passages such as her visions of angels, her vision of christ, and the stages of contemplative prayer. This castle is divided into seven groups of mansions, beginning at the outer gate and moving inward toward the center. Audio download free the relations in spanish relaciones is an extention of st teresa s. Saint teresa of avila collection 6 books by saint teresa of avila and aeterna press. Teresa of jesus, teresa was hesitant to begin writing again on her views of the perfection found in internal prayer. Teresa of avila books list of books by author teresa of. She has since become one of the patron saints of spain. Exclamations, or meditations of the soul on its god st.
Teresa of avila, including titles like the autobiography of st. Saint teresa of avila s story teresa lived in an age of exploration as well as political, social, and religious upheaval. Shortly after this event, teresa was entrusted to the care of the augustinian nuns. Teresa of avila is very helpful to those who are trying to lead a life of prayer. Teresa of jesus of the order of our lady of carmel with the visitation of nunneries the rule and constitutions written by st. It has helped me tremendously to understand the lord better especially the ways of the holy spirit. Saint teresa of avila wrote extensively on issues of faith, asceticism, god, and mysticism. She authored several pieces including an autobiography written with the guidance of her confessor. Enter your mobile number or email address below and well send you a link to download the free kindle app. She is mentioned prominently in kathryn harrison s novel poison. Author of numerous spiritual classics, she was elevated to doctor of the church by pope paul vi in 1970. In 1622, forty years after her death, she was canonized by pope gregory xv, and in 1970, she was named a doctor of the church by pope paul vi, the first.
But there was a long interruption of five months, so that the actual time spent in the composition of this work was reduced to about four weeksa fortnight for the first, and another fortnight for the second half of the book. The life of saint teresa of avila by herself by teresa of. Even though i treasured reading again some of the bestloved passages written by st. Two years after she was born, luther started the protestant reformation. Of a revelation to the saint at avila, 1579, and of directions concerning the government of the order xi. Teresa of avila s most popular book is interior castle. Teresa, i have a few reservations about recommending the book for everyone. The books were translated by the late fr otilio rodriguez ocd and fr kieran kavanaugh ocd. Tormented by illness, doubts and selfrecrimination, she gradually came to recognize the power of prayer and contemplationher spiritual enlightenment was intensified by many visions and mystical experiences. Shortly after writing the book of her life for her confessor, st. Describes how the lord began to awaken her soul in childhood to a love of virtue and what a help it is in this respect to have good parents chapter ii.