Body of St. Teresa of Avila in Almost Perfect Condition 442 Years After Her Death

For the first time in 110 years, the tomb of St. Teresa of Avila, who died in 1582, was opened to allow medical experts and scientists to examine her remains. Even though she has been encased inside her marble-covered silver coffin for nearly 450 years, her body has not decayed to any noticeable degree. This is remarkable, given that no special effort was made to preserve her body at the time of her death.

“Today the tomb of St. Teresa was opened and we have verified that it is in the same condition as when it was last opened in 1914,” Father Marco Chiesa of the Carmelite Monastery of Alba de Tormes, where the remains of St. Teresa are kept, said in an August 28 announcement published in the National Catholic Register.

St. Teresa died in the village of Alba de Tormes in the province of Salamanca in western Spain on October 4, 1582, and her body has been at rest there ever since.

The new examination of St. Teresa’s remains, which took place over the last four days of August, was carried out under the watchful eye of the Diocese of Avila, and of the Order of the Discalced Carmelites that has been responsible for keeping her coffin safe and secure for more than four centuries. Permission to open her tomb and exhume her body was granted in July by Pope Francis, in response to a request from the Bishop of Salamanca, Luis Retana.

Religious men and women were present at the opening of the tomb of St. Teresa of Ávila. (Order of Carmel)

A Miraculous Discovery is Made in Alba de Tormes

Extraordinary efforts were made by the Diocese of Avila to make sure the remains of their revered saint were protected from theft. Many years ago they installed three locks on the outer gate of her tomb, had added three more locks to the tomb’s door, and even put four locks on the coffin itself, all of which require separate keys to open.

After all the locks had all been opened and access to the coffin obtained, it was moved to a special room set up for the scientific work that was scheduled to be performed. The body was then carefully removed from the coffin, which gave the experts a chance to examine her remains closely while also taking numerous photographs and X-rays. The researchers compared the new photographs of her body to those that were taken in the early 20th century, to verify that its condition hadn’t changed.

Opening of the first tomb of St. Teresa of Ávila. (Order of Carmel)

Father Chiesa acknowledged that the researchers experienced some difficulties comparing the new images with those taken in 1914, because of the fact that the latter are in black and white. Nevertheless, he confirmed that “the parts uncovered, which are the face and the foot, are the same as they were in 1914.”

“There is no skin color, because the skin is mummified,” he added. “But it can be seen, especially in the middle of the face. It can be seen well. The expert doctors can see Teresa’s face most clearly.”

In addition to the saint’s body, her heart and one detached arm were also preserved in the coffin, as holy relics. One of her hands was also preserved as a relic, although this has been kept separately in the Spanish town of Ronda (it was sent to Alba de Tormes so it could be examined along with the body and the other relics).

In the coming months, the researchers involved in this new study will be analyzing the images they collected in a laboratory setting. Following the release of these results they will issue recommendations for how St. Teresa’s remains can be best preserved moving forward, to ensure they will stay in pristine condition indefinitely.

St Teresa Portrait by Francois Gerard. (Public Domain)

The Painful Journey of St. Teresa is Still Remembered and Honored

The Carmelites can trace their roots back to the 13th century, but it was in 1562 that St. Teresa herself founded a new type of Carmelite community in her native Spain. The new order was known as the Discalced Carmelites, and like their founder they walked around barefoot or while wearing only sandals.

This activity was designed to demonstrate depth of faith, but it came with a price. During the study of her body, the researchers noticed the presence of calcareous spines or spurs on the heels of St. Teresa’s feet. These are deposits of calcium that can grow when feet are under a lot of stress, and they can be extremely painful to walk on. The researchers say these spurs would have developed as a result of walking barefoot quite often, as St. Teresa was known to have done.

“Analyzing the foot in Rome, we saw the presence of calcareous thorns that make it almost impossible to walk,” Chiesa told the Daily Mail. “But she walked [to] Alba de Tormes and, then died.”

This was not the only health problem that plagued St. Teresa. She also suffered from stomach pains and convulsions, and from dizzy spells that sometimes caused her to pass out.

But despite her health difficulties, her dedication to the church and its mission was unwavering. For her work as an organizer and tireless efforts as a reformer, Teresa was canonized by Pope Gregory XV in 1622.

Today, St. Teresa fills the role of patron saint for a variety of people, including those in need of grace, those who are grieving the loss of their parents, individuals in religious orders, people mocked for their piety, and those who are suffering from some type of illness. She is even recognized as the patron saint of chess players and lace makers, which demonstrates how popular she remains among Catholics in the modern age.

Top image: Opening of the silver tomb of St. Teresa of Ávila; portrait of St. Teresa of Ávil                                 Source: The Order of Carmel in the Diocese of Avila, Spain

By Nathan Falde