Teresa Sanchez Cepeda Davila y Ahumada was born in 1515 in the Castilian city of Avila. Her family was descended from Jewish merchants who became Christians during the reign of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella. She was the third child in the family. Her father, Alphonsus, converted to Catholicism and accumulated a library of spiritual literature similar to what his daughter would eventually write.

Teresa was fascinated as a kid by the idea of eternity and the vision of God that the saints in paradise were given. She once tried to flee with her younger brother Rodrigo in order to become martyrs in a Muslim nation, but they were quickly discovered by a relative who sent them back to their mother Beatrice.

Teresa's mother passed away when she was fourteen years old, leaving her with a terrible grief that led her to accept a greater devotion to the Virgin Mary as her spiritual mother. But in addition to this wise decision, she also became excessively interested in reading popular fiction, which at the time mostly consisted of tales of knighthood from the Middle Ages, and taking care of her appearances.

Even though these flaws would have been considered relatively minor by Teresa's spiritual mentors later in life, they nonetheless marked a discernible loss of her early fervour for God. Alphonsus believed his adolescent daughter needed a change of surroundings and sent her to an Augustinian nuns' monastery for education. At first, Teresa thought their existence was boring, but she eventually began to see some of the spiritual benefits.

During her second year, illness compelled her to leave the convent. But Teresa was persuaded that giving up marriage, property, and earthly pleasures entirely was the surest path to heaven by her pious uncle Peter and the letters she read from the monk and Church Father St. Jerome. She entered the Carmelite Order against the wishes of her father, who preferred that she put off the decision.

At the age of 20, Teresa formally joined the order, but she was soon forced to return home due to a serious illness. For two years, she was physically paralysed and in excruciating pain. After falling into a four-day coma, doctors predicted her death. Even though she was still in excruciating agony and was severely disabled, she insisted on going back to the Carmelite monastery as soon as she could.

Throughout the following three years, the young nun made significant strides in her spiritual life, refining her methods of using silent meditation to bring herself back into God's presence. But Teresa reverted to a more regimented prayer life as her health improved. Even though she continued to be a devout Carmelite, it would take her nearly twenty years to rekindle this intense, intimate relationship with God.

But Teresa was suddenly drawn back to the practice of contemplative mental prayer when she was over forty. She had incredible visions that appeared to be from God, as well as significant transformations within her own spirit. Teresa composed her autobiography in 1565, guided by her confessors, and included some of these experiences.

After receiving Christ in Holy Communion, Teresa had always been used to reflecting on his presence inside her. But now she realized that the presence she felt did not just go away; God had been there for her the entire time. All she had to do was present herself to him, showing him love and care, as anyone may do at any time.

Teresa's spiritual life underwent a transformation that made it possible for her to significantly contribute to the Church's rebirth in the years after the Council of Trent. She suggested that the Carmelites revert to their original way of life, which was based on solitary and silence. This austere and straightforward type of monasticism was approved by the pope in the twelfth century and was thought to have its roots in the teachings of the Old Testament prophet Elijah.

She established what is now known as the Order of Discalced Carmelites with her Saint John of the Cross. The word "discalced," which means "barefoot," represents the simplicity with which they decided to restore the order following a period of corruption. Despite strong opposition, the reform led to the establishment of thirty monasteries during her lifetime.

Teresa's health failed her for the final time while she was travelling through Salamanca in 1582. She acknowledged that her severe last illness was God's way of bringing her into his eternal presence.

On October 15, 1582, St. Teresa of Avila passed away. She was beatified on April 24th, 1614, in Rome by Pope Paul V and on March 22, 1622, she was canonized by Pope Gregory XV alongside three of her most notable contemporaries, namely St. Philip Neri, St. Francis Xavier, and St. Ignatius Loyola.

In 1970, Pope St. Paul VI proclaimed St. Teresa as one of the first two-woman Doctors of the Church, along with 14th-century Dominican St. Catherine of Siena. She is revered as the patron of headache sufferers.

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