Alba de Tormes, Spain (AP) – they lined up to see her, quietly and miracle: there was Saint Teresa from the Open Karsa, more than 440 years after her death.
Catholic worshipers flow into the alba de tormes-miest, which was ringed by pastures in Western Spain, where the remains of the Holy, mystic and 16th century religious reformer were exhibited this month.
“It caused me a sense of fulfillment, joy and sadness,” said Guomar Sánchez, who traveled from his two daughters on the last day of the exhibit from Madrid on Sunday.
Inspired by the Mother’s faith in the Carmelite monk, Sánchez praised mystic writings as forward. Sánchez stated that she also partially came to honor her mother.
“Seeing it was an inexplicable experience,” Sánchez added.
Monday morning in 1582 The dead saint’s coffin was closed and transported through the streets of the city, and the pilgrims after the procession. It is unclear how many years or decades will pass until the church will make St. Teresa’s remains visible to the public.
Teresa was last exhibited in 1914, when the devotees had one day to see the saint. This time, the exposition attracted nearly 100,000 visitors within two weeks, said Miguel ángel González, contradictions in Salamanka Carmelites in the previous one.
The remains of the saint hold the coffin of only 1.3 meters (4 feet).
What is visible is a skull dressed in a habit with vests covering other parts of the body, not all of this is intact. The heart of the saint is considered to be in another part of the church, officials said. Other parts of the body are considered relics – fingers, hand and jaw – in churches throughout Europe.
Teresa is a frightening figure of Spanish golden age and 16th century counter -reformation. Her inner life and meditation on relationships with God have been controversial, but over the centuries they have been considered a “deep treatise on spirituality,” said José Calvo, a professor of theology at the University of Pontification Salamanka, which specializes in medieval history.
Many worshiped her. Former Spanish dictator General Francisco Franco, it is believed to have held a relic of the Holy Hand near his bed.
Last September, the newly elected Pope Leo XIV visited the hometown of the saint in Avila, an hour from Alba de Tor.
Teresa’s remains on the Internet also caused memes about the macabre nature of the crowd around its centuries -old skull.
In the Alba de Tormes, church officials and experts diminished such reactions, saying that the exposition was nothing unusual as Catholics respected their saints for centuries.
“It was just something that people were always doing when they thought something could be a saint,” said Cathleen Medwick, who wrote the book “Teresa from Avila, Soul Progress.”
“And the fact that her body was not very broken was also considered a sign of her holiness,” Medwick added.
Some worshipers have been obviously moved this month. On Sunday, a group of monks from India wiped tears as they stood at the coffin and looked at the remains of the saints behind the glass tray.
The 75 -year -old Gregory Martín López climbed into an enlarged part of the church behind the altar, hoping to get a better view from the top about the small skull of the saint.
“For me, the saint is a matter of strength. If they close it, I can say I saw her,” said Martín and with tears in her eyes blown a kiss to Teresa’s relic because the organ music filled the space.
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