Valladolid
1568

Trail of St Teresa

She arrived in the city on 10 August 1568. A young, wealthy nobleman, Don Bernardino de Mendoza, had donated land located in the present-day quarter of El Cuatro de Marzo. The event was also witnessed by Brother John of the Cross, who was a novice of La Madre. The site was one of “much recreation” with its “delightful vegetable garden”; however, it was unhealthy because it was next to the river and, as the Saint goes on to say, “almost all of us felt ill”.

Her good friend Doña María de Mendoza, gave her another healthy site and had the nuns in her palace opposite the Church of San Pablo until they could move to their new home. They stayed there from October 1568 until they moved to the place they occupy today on 3 February 1569. Mother Teresa of Jesus returned to her foundation on several occasions to be with her nuns, on her way to found other convents and, on her last trip, while ill some fifteen days before her death. This privileged enclosure has been conserved with great care by the Barefoot Carmelite Sisters over the centuries. The church is a genuine museum with beautiful sculptures by Gregorio Fernández. The convent is home to exceptional works of art in the cloister and the choir stalls. It conserves the best of its treasures: the cell occupied by St Teresa during her stays and the two exceptional gems: the original handwritten version of her The Way of Perfection, the second edition written by the author, and the largest collection of her letters, also handwritten.

Valladolid has understood the significance of this Teresian convent for the city and she was given the title of honorary neighbour by the City Hall in 1968. The street and quarter in which the convent is located are known by the name of Rondilla de Santa Teresa.

Autor: Teófanes Egido