Inside the Convent of St Theresa of Avila

Tourists and visitors don’t just go to Avila to see the famed Murallas or Walls that surround the city.  Another reason is to visit the Convent of St Theresa of Avila. Thousands of Catholic pilgrims pass by this convent to honor the Saint known for her spiritual contemplation and mysticism. She’s a Carmelite nun who made reforms within the organization to encourage her peers to live and lead an ascetic life.

Inside the Convent of St Theresa of Avila is a small chapel where the Saint was born in 1515.

The chapel is filled with scenes of her life. The Catholic world knows about her power of levitation.

In this Baroque Church, pilgrims can still see traces of St. Theresa.

In the museum, you will find some things that belong to St Theresa herself and those of St John of the Cross. The two Saints worked together to improve the Order of the Carmelite.

Also, in the Relics Room (aka Museum), visitors will see St. Theresa’s finger from the right hand. There’s also a rosary and a cord that she used to flog herself.

A small garden where St. Theresa used as a playground when she was a child is still here, too.

The Spanish love St. Theresa of Avila, and they made her as Patron Saint of the nation. In the town of Alba de Tormes, an hour’s drive from Avila, pilgrims will have a glimpse of the Saint’s virtuous heart and arm that are preserved in another Carmelite convent.

How to get to Avila

Getting there is complicated if you only have a day to spare. So, I gave up on getting there by public transport. Instead, I joined a one-day tour that also goes to Segovia and Toledo. It’s a one-day tour from Madrid. See the thumbnails below for options.

Related: Things to do and see in Avila