Convento de Santa Teresa de Jesús

One of the things that I recommend seeing in Ávila is the Iglesia-convento de Santa Teresa, which is located within the boundary of the walled city. It's amazing to have the opportunity to visit such an unusual city like Ávila and see how it has been changed by one person so devoted to it like Saint Teresa of Ávila was. During your visit to Ávila, it's going to be very common for you to constantly see nuns and several churches, as well as some of Saint Teresa's most famous quotes painted on the city walls, as she is one of the reasons why lots of people visit the city - it's a city where many make a pilgrimage.

A little bit of history

Previously, the convent used to be an ancestral home where Saint Teresa's parents, Alonso de Cepeda and Beatriz de Ahumada, lived, but the convent was later built by the Discalced Carmelites after the death of Saint Teresa's father. The order of the Discalced Carmelites was born in the sixteenth century thanks to Saint Teresa of Ávila and John of the Cross: this order is made up of nuns, friars and brothers of the church, the latter of which were the ones who finished building the convent in 1636. (That's right, this construction is almost 400 years old! )

Let's get down to the nitty-gritty of the church and its finer details

Just off to one side of the convent, there is a church, and so it's for this reason that this site is commonly referred to as a "church/convent". The church is not as big as many of the others that you will find in Spain. In fact, the interior of this particular church is very simple in comparison with the others that I have visited, although the rear part of it (where the priest gives mass) has a wall filled with very detailed golden ornaments and a very representative religious image:

The chapel: a luxury of detailing...

(The ceiling of the chapel with religious images, and gold-coloured embellishments also found on the ceiling and the lining of the walls. )

One of the things that impressed me the most was the chapel because you can appreciate the many illustrations, which are extremely detailed and representative, as well as intricate gold-coloured adornments. Everything was just so elegant that I couldn't resist taking a photo of it.

(A statue of Saint Teresa found within the chapel before arriving at her room. )

Saint Teresa's room

This is a historically valuable space, as it is a replica of the room in which Saint Teresa of Ávila was born. The making of this replica was made possible thanks to the information that was obtained from documents and paintings of what was a room in a stately home. Before recreating the room at the convent, the space was a church that was closed off from public access.

Within the room, you will be able to see a bed with wooden pillars and a very old trunk sat on top of a desk, as well as the typical candlesticks that they used in those days and writing paper with a quill pen. The floor has worn away a little bit, as they have wanted to conserve it, despite having installed it over a century and a half ago. All of the things necessary to reconstruct the room have been brought mainly from the convents in Ávila and Toledo. But, in all honesty, the recreation really makes you feel like you were back in that period of history.

(Saint Teresa of Ávila's room - access is only permitted up to this point. )

This convent is one of the most representative things in Ávila and is very much appreciated by the city's residents, as it was declared a Spanish Site of Cultural Interest.

The convent nowadays

Currently, the convent serves as the residence of the order of the Discalced Carmelites and usually has a hostel open for pilgrims. In fact, this is the official departure point for the pilgrimage route that tours all of the convents that were founded in a twenty-year period by Saint Teresa in different cities of Spain.

In fact, the most important pilgrimage took place this year (2015), as the birth of Saint Teresa was celebrated and commemorated. During this pilgrimage, the partakers travelled to 17 cities in the following order: Ávila, Medina del Campo, Malagón, Valladolid, Toledo, Pastrana, Salamanca, Alba de Tormes, Segovia, Beas de Segura, Seville, Caravaca de la Cruz, Villanueva de la Jara, Palencia, Soria, Granada, and, finally, Burgos. In all of the aforementioned cities, you will be able to find a convent of Saint Teresa or join the famous route yourself.

Gift shop

Next to the convent, there is a gift shop that focuses its efforts on selling religious souvenirs like: prayer postcards, postcards of the city and of other images, bracelets, embroidery, gold handicrafts (with a religious focus), rosary beads, and bibles, to name just a few. On all of the aforementioned souvenirs, all of them are focused on sharing some of Saint Teresa's most famous sayings.

(A house in the city of Ávila with a banner that has one of Saint Teresa's famous quotes written on it. )

Grandmothers love receiving souvenirs and gifts from places like these; I'm telling you this because mine is very religious and she loved the gift that I brought her back from the convent. The best thing about it all is that the prices are very reasonable: there is a variety of gifts that will meet the needs of even the tightest of budgets.

How do you get there?

Well, I hope that you like walking, as this is by far the easiest way of getting to the convent. In Ávila, there is no metro system, nor suburban train system running within the walled city.

The easiest way to get there is by entering the city through the walls at the Paseo el Rastro and, in the first street, turning left down Calle los Cepedas and following it all the way down. All potential confusion will be avoided if you go this way because the street does not veer off in other directions, making it impossible to miss seeing the convent.

How much does it cost to visit the convent?

Entry to the convent is free for the most part: I was able to see Saint Teresa's room and enter the church without paying a single penny, however, on certain occasions, the church "suggests" that you give a donation of an amount that you feel is appropriate.

What are the convent's opening hours?

This was the one piece of information that I couldn't get hold of, but, at the church, they told me that they open almost every single day.