Saint Teresa of Avila is known for being a 16th-century Spanish Carmelite nun, mystic, and reformer who founded convents and monasteries, and was a major figure in the Counter-Reformation.
She is the author of influential spiritual works such as "The Interior Castle" and "The Way of Perfection", which explore Christian mysticism and prayer.
Saint Teresa of Avila died on Oct. 15, 1582. She was canonized on March 22, 1622, along with three of her greatest contemporaries: St. Ignatius Loyola, St. Francis Xavier, and St. Philip Neri.
In 1970, Pope St. Paul VI proclaimed Saint Teresa as one of the first two women Doctors of the Church, along with 14th century Dominican Saint Catherine of Siena.
The tomb of Saint Teresa of Avila is in the small village of Alba de Tormes, just outside of Salamanca, Spain.