The Life of St. Teresa of Jesus

Name: The Life of St. Teresa of Jesus
Author: St. Teresa of Avila

Teresa of Ávila (1515–1582) was a Spanish Carmelite nun and reformer, and one of the great writers on the life of prayer. With St John of the Cross she founded the Discalced Carmelites, restoring a stricter observance, and she wrote at the command of her confessors. Her Life, The Way of Perfection, and The Interior Castle — all in our library — describe the soul's journey toward God in vivid, practical language.

Free

Free: get it — here or in the Christian Classics app — and it's yours to read and listen to on every device you sign in to. About a tenth of it can be read here first, free.

First published: 1565
Category: Biography
Length: 180k words · about 12 hours
Chapters: 57

About this book

Teresa of Avila's Life is the spiritual autobiography she composed in the 1560s at the command of her confessors. She recounts her early years, long spiritual lukewarmness, conversion to serious prayer, and the favors and trials that followed. Alongside the story stands her celebrated teaching on prayer, making the book both a candid memoir and a classic of contemplative devotion.