The body of Saint Teresa of Jesus will be displayed for public veneration from May 11 to 25 at the Basilica of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Alba de Tormes, Spain, in a historic event not seen in 111 years.
Newsroom (21/03/2025, Gaudium Press) The relics of Saint Teresa of Jesus, which have been under scientific examination since late August 2024, will be on display for the faithful’s veneration at the Basilica of the Annunciation in Alba de Tormes, Spain, from May 11 to 25, 2025.
At the end of August 2024, Saint Teresa’s tomb was opened to allow an in-depth study of her relics. The body of this Carmelite nun and Doctor of the Church remains where she died, in Alba de Tormes, in northwestern Spain. Although some of her relics are dispersed throughout Europe—a foot in Rome, a hand in Ronda, and even a finger in the Notre-Dame de Lorette church in Paris—the majority of her body remains under strict care in the convent she founded in Alba de Tormes (near Salamanca).
On August 28, 2024, the Discalced Carmelites opened her tomb and found the body of Saint Teresa of Ávila intact. In 1750 and again in 1914, the saint’s tomb had already been opened, revealing a body described as “completely incorrupt.”
Among recent research findings is the severe curvature of Saint Teresa’s spine, indicating that she suffered from an acute form of scoliosis.
At a press conference, the Carmelites announced that after the period of public display, the relics will be returned to their final resting place, concluding the research process. This will be the third time in the 443 years since her death that Saint Teresa of Ávila’s relics have been made available for public veneration.
In 1760, her tomb was opened for seven hours and, in 1914, for an entire day.
“We want this veneration to be an opportunity for pilgrims to draw closer to Jesus Christ and to the Church, to evangelize visitors, and to deepen knowledge of Saint Teresa of Jesus,” said the Superior of the Discalced Carmelites.
For public veneration, the silver urn containing Saint Teresa will be opened, protected by glass, in the transept of the church, just below the dome. “After the public veneration, there will also be a new feature in the upper chapel: the marble tomb will remain open, protected by a glass display, so that the sealed silver urn can be viewed,” added the Prior of Alba de Tormes.
After the display ends on May 25, the silver urn will be placed back into the marble tomb on May 26, when the studies to reconstruct Saint Teresa of Jesus’s face are completed, and it will then be permanently sealed.
Compiled by Donna Smolders
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