CV NEWS FEED // When St. Teresa of Avila’s body was exhumed on August 28, at the beginning of a new study of her relics, it was found to still be incorrupt.
St. Teresa’s body has been incorrupt since 1582, according to an article on Avila’s diocesan website. Her body was last exhumed in 1914.
Father Miguel Ángel González explained how Carmelite Mothers, the ecclesial tribunal, and the General Postulator of the Order of Carmelites transferred the coffin, “while singing the Te Deum with hearts full of emotion,” into a room where the scientific medical team could exhume her body.
Two goldsmiths were present to help unlock the tomb, a magnificent gift from King Ferdinand VI and his wife Bárbara of Braganza. The website explained that the tomb has ten keys in total, “three kept in Alba de Tormes, three lent by the Duke of Alba, three held in Rome by the General Father, and the king’s key. Three of these keys are used to open the outer grille, three to open the marble tomb, and the remaining four to open the silver urn.”
The General Postulator of the Order of Discalced Carmelites, Father Marco Chiesa, said that the study had two purposes: to confirm that St. Teresa’s body is still incorrupt and to investigate her health before her death.
“We know that her last years were difficult for her, with walking and the pains she described. Sometimes, by examining a body, we can learn more about the person’s condition,” he said. When the group analyzed her foot, which is in Rome, “we saw the presence of calcaneal spurs that made walking almost impossible.”
Father Chiesa continued, “But she walked. She arrived at Alba de Tormes and then faced death, but her desire was to keep moving forward, despite her physical limitations.”
He also noted that while it is difficult to compare the body to the 1914 black and white pictures, “the exposed parts, which are the face and foot, are the same as they were in 1914.”
Father Chiesa concluded regarding the study,
The Order considers it appropriate to carry out this work, and it will be the specialists who, after their thorough work, will present their conclusions. We know from similar studies that we will be able to learn valuable information about Teresa and also receive recommendations for the preservation of the relics, but that will come at a later stage.