A strange dispute has broken out in the diocese of Salamanca over the handling of St Teresa of Avila (1515-1582), Spain’s patron saint. The reason for this is the reinterment of her badly decomposed body for public veneration – an occasion last seen in 1914. Despite the lively response in the Alba de Tormes Basilica, where more than 53,000 visitors have been counted since 11 May, criticism is now growing.
As the portal “Vida Nueva Digital” reports, Salamanca’s Bishop Jose Luis Retana considers the exhibition to be a mistake: “I think it only serves to encourage people’s morbid curiosity.” The accompanying research work by historians could also be carried out without showing the bodies of the dead.
Laying in state lasts until 25 May
The responsible Carmelite order, to which the saint belonged, has since conceded that it would probably have been better to display her coffin only covered. Nevertheless, they still want to familiarise visitors with the life and work of Teresa of Avila. Her body will remain on display in Alba de Tormes until Sunday.
The mystic and Carmelite Teresa of Avila was born in 1515 and died near Salamanca in 1582. She was canonised in 1614 and was the first woman to be named a Doctor of the Church by Pope Paul VI in 1970.
