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Mar 28, 1515
Date and place of birth
Teresa Sanchez Cepeda Davila was born on Wednesday morning, March 28th 1515 in a Castilican town in Avila. -
Jan 1, 1522
Family life
At the age of 7 Teresa and her elder brother wanted to go off to the land of Moors (muslim area) and beg them out of the love of God to cut their heads off. They ran away and got as far as the road from the city until an uncle found them and brought them back. -
Jan 1, 1529
Family life
Teresa was the third of nine children. Her mother died when she was only fourteen years old. She looked up to Mary as her spiritual mother. Her father was very strict and he was the son of a Toledan Merchant. Teresa was very good with needleworking and household duties. At the age of 16 her Father sent her to the Carmelitte Covenant of the Incarnation, because she was out of control, only caring about boys and rebelling. -
Jan 1, 1531
Where and what she studied
There is not much about when and what she studied but Teresa was a very good writer. Her father sent her to the Carmelitte order at the age of 16 so she would of studied in the covenant school. Before that she would of been taught at home or sent to a school.
Also Teresa was very good at praying. She said every time she prayed her whole body will be lifted off the ground. -
Jan 1, 1558
Work Achievments
Teresa was determined to found a new covenant that was built on a simple life of poverty and prayer. She did this because the covenant she was in had daily invasions of people, silly concerns and vain conversations. Theresa wanted to do something about it so she established a new covenant. -
Jan 1, 1562
Controversies she was involved in
Teresa established her first covenant in 1562 and named it Saint Joseph (San Jose) when plans leaked out she was criticized by many people and threatened with questioning and investigation. Also the town started legal proceeding against her because she wanted to live a simple life of prayer. Although she was critisized she went ahead as if nothing was wrong, trusting in God. -
Mar 1, 1563
Work achievments
When Teresa moved to a new monastery she received the Popes approval to open the new covenant. For the first five years Teresa stayed in spiritual solitude, engaged in writing. -
Mar 6, 1566
Controversies
It is said that Teresa had to enter the towns secretly to avoid causing riots in the middle of the night. -
Mar 6, 1567
Work achievments
Between 1567 and 1571 Teresa established her reform covenants in Medina del Campo, Malagon, Valladolid, Toledo, Pastrana, Salamanca, and Alba de Tormes. In total seventeen convents were all founded by her. -
Nov 1, 1568
Work achievments
Teresa was given permission to set up two houses for men who wanted to adopt the reforms. She did this with the help of Saint John of the Cross and Anthony of Jesus. They founded the first convent of Discalced Carmelite Brethren. -
Jan 1, 1576
Controversies she was involved in
A series of persecutions began against Theresa, her friends and her reforms. The Definators of the order forbade further founding of covenants. They condemned her to one of her foundations for voluntary retirement. She chose Saint Joseph of Toledo. Also her friends were subject to greater trials. -
Jan 5, 1579
Controversies
After several years of pleading by a letter to the King of Spain she secured relief. In 1579 the process of investigation against her were dropped, which allowed her reform to continue. -
Period: Jan 1, 1580 to Jan 1, 1582
Work acheivments
During the last three years of her life, Teresa founded convents at Villanueva de la Jara in northern Andalusia ), Palencia (1580), Soria (1581), Burgos, and Granada (1582). -
Oct 4, 1582
Date and cause of death
Teresa died on the 4th of October 1582 while she was travelling through salamanca. She died due to natural causes and even throughout her life she had always been sick and had Malaria at one stage and was paralysed for 3 years. -
When she was canonized
Saint Teresa was canonized on March 22nd 1622, 40 years after her death by Pope Gregory XV. She is the patron Saint of headache sufferers and Spanish Catholic writers. -
When she was canonized
In 1970 Pope Paul VI named Saint Teresa of Avila one of the first two woman Doctors of the church with Saint Catherine of Siena.
