Lot Essay
Born in Avila, Spain, Theresa was the daughter of a Toledo merchant and his second wife, who died when Theresa was 15 and she was entrusted to the care of the Augustinian nuns. After reading the letters of St. Jerome, Theresa resolved to enter a religious life and in 1535, she joined the Carmelite Order. She suffered a severe illness that left her legs paralyzed for three years, but following visions of Christ, her fame grew and she set up a house in Avila where she founded the Convent of St. Joseph to re-establish the Carmelite order with additional observances. She was canonized in 1622.