St. John of the Cross and Ste. Theresa de Avila

[Rosina Lila]

Hello you all,
Neither the official biographies nor verbal lore contain any indication that
either of the two above writer/saints made the pilgrimage to Santiago. It
appears that both were pretty much absorbed in their conventual life and in
the religious pressures brought about by the Reformation movement.
To be sure, Saint Theresa of Avila moved around the country a great deal, but
she did so promoting the Order of the Carmelites and taking care of its
needs.
The one way in which St. Theresa of Avila became connected somewhat if not to
the Camino at least to St. James occurred in the Seventeenth Century.  It
appears that at that time the lure of the pilgrimage to Santiago had ebbed
and a popular movement arose seeking to replace Santiago as sole patron of
Spain with St. Theresa. The Carmelite order and its admirers promoted the
substitution actively and a spirited national polemic ensued, to such degree
that the authorities in Rome had to interfere, deciding in 1630 in favor of
Santiago.  A few years later, in 1643, King Philip the Fourth established an
official National Offer to the Santiago Apostle on July 25th. To this day the
king, or someone designated by him, makes such official offer to Saint James.
Those pilgrims landing in Madrid might want to take a day's detour to Avila,
"the walled City" which is fascinating and within easy reach.
( The writings of San Juan de la Cruz, St. John of the Cross, sometimes are
confused with those of Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz.  The latter,  a writer and
a poet, was a Seventeenth Century Mexican nun who was a bit of a mystic and a
surprisingly aggressive (for the times) feminist.  In fact, the very first
edition of MS magazine in the 1970s featured her in its cover.  Also, a
painting of Sor Juana is the only picture of a female in the Escorial Royal
Palace's library.
Regards,
Rosina