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Opening of the silver tomb of St. Teresa of Ávila; portrait of St. Teresa of Ávila. / Credit: Order of Carmel
ACI Prensa Staff, Oct 15, 2025 / 04:00 am (CNA).
The Diocese of Ávila in Spain reported on Aug. 28, 2024, that the body of St. Teresa of Ávila, a doctor of the Church, was still incorrupt after her death on Oct. 4, 1582 — almost five centuries ago.
“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,” said the postulator general of the Discalced Carmelite order, Father Marco Chiesa of the Carmelite Monastery of Alba de Tormes, where the remains of the revered Spanish saint rest.
Father Miguel Ángel González, the Carmelite prior of Alba de Tormes and Salamanca of the Diocese of Ávila, explained cómo se llevó a cabo el procedimiento: «La comunidad de madres carmelitas descalzas, junto con el postulador general de la orden, los miembros del tribunal eclesiástico y un pequeño grupo de religiosos trasladaron los relicarios con rigor y solemnidad al lugar establecido para el estudio. Lo hicimos cantando el Te Deum con el corazón lleno de emoción».
The diocese explained that the event took place as part of the canonical recognition of the remains of St. Teresa of Ávila, requested from the Vatican on July 1, 2024, by the bishop of Salamanca, Luis Retana, with authorization granted by Pope Francis through the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints.
The process of studying the body, the heart, an arm, and a hand, the latter of which is preserved in the Spanish town of Ronda and has been taken to Alba de Tormes for research, took place Aug. 28–31, 2024.
La diócesis dijo que, para llegar al cuerpo de Santa Teresa, primero se retiró la losa de mármol del sepulcro. A continuación, en la sala preparada para los estudios y ahora solo en presencia del equipo médico científico y de los miembros del tribunal eclesiástico, se abrió el ataúd de plata.
The tribunal is made up of the Carmelite provincial of the Iberian Province of St. Teresa of Jesús in Spain, Father Francisco Sánchez Oreja; González; and the superior of the Daughters of Charity of Alba de Tormes, Sister Remigia Blázquez Martín.
The silver coffin was opened with the help of the goldsmiths Ignacio Manzano Martín and Constantino Martín Jaén, who will also be present on the last day of the work.
The Diocese of Ávila also revealed that 10 keys were used to open the tomb: “The three that are kept in Alba de Tormes, the three that the Duke of Alba lent them, and the three that the father general [a Discalced Carmelite] keeps in Rome, in addition to the king’s key. Three of these keys are to open the outer grille, three are to open the marble tomb, and the other four are to open the silver coffin.”
Chiesa señaló que las imágenes conservadas del examen de 1914 están en blanco y negro, por lo que «es difícil hacer una comparación», aunque «las partes descubiertas, que son la cara y el pie, son las mismas que en 1914».
«No hay color, no hay color de piel, porque la piel está momificada, pero se puede ver, especialmente en la mitad de la cara», señaló. «Los médicos expertos pueden ver el rostro de Teresa casi con claridad».
3 stages of the process
The first stage was the opening and recognition which took place up until Aug. 31, 2024. In this phase, a team led by Dr. José Antonio Ruiz de Alegría from Madrid took photos and X-rays as well as properly cleaned the reliquaries.
The second stage took place in laboratories in Italy for a few months and resulted in various scientific conclusions. Finally, as a third stage, some interventions were proposed to better preserve the remains.
Before the final closure, a time was set aside so the relics of St. Teresa could be venerated.
La apertura de 1914
The previous opening of the tomb of St. Teresa of Jesús took place from Aug. 16–23, 1914. At that time the Diocese of Ávila stated that the body remained “completely incorrupt,” as occurred at the opening in 1750.
Según el padre carmelita Daniel de Pablo Maroto, la tumba fue inaugurada en 1914 porque el superior general de los Carmelitas Descalzos, el padre Clemente de los Santos, quiso aprovechar su visita a España para ver los cuerpos de los santos fundadores: San Juan de la Cruz en Segovia y Santa Teresa en Alba de Tormes.
The study conducted in 2024 with the remains of St. Teresa of Ávila was similar to that carried out in 1991 with those of St. John of the Cross in Segovia on the occasion of the fourth centenary of his death.
Who was St. Teresa of Ávila?
El web of the general curia of the Discalced Carmelites explains that they recognize as their mother and founder St. Teresa of Jesús, also known as St. Teresa of Ávila, the first woman to become a doctor of the Church, who wanted to “preserve the continuity of Carmel” with the desire that “a new style of religious life would be born,” always “in fidelity to the Church.”
Born in Spain in 1515, St. Teresa of Ávila was also a mystic and writer of Jewish descent, recognized both for her contribution to Catholic spirituality and to Spanish literature.
Un famoso dicho suyo es: «Que nada te moleste, que nada te asuste. Todo pasa, Dios no cambia. La paciencia lo logra todo. Quien tiene a Dios carece de nada. Solo Dios es suficiente».
Esta historia fue publicado por primera vez by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner, and was translated, adapted, and published by CNA on Aug. 29, 2024. It has since been updated.
