Teresa of Ávila relics tell ‘extraordinary story’, say researchers

An Australian sculptor has reconstructed the face of St Teresa at the request of Prof Luigi Capasso, who led the study of her remains.

The scalp of St Teresa of Ávila has retained strands of brown hair, according to anthropologists analysing relics of the sixteenth century Spanish mystic.

The dark iris of Teresa’s right eye is also visible according to Prof Luigi Capasso, who is leading the study of St Teresa’s remains.

He told reporters in Alba de Tormes, the Spanish municipality where St Teresa died in 1582, that her relics tell “an absolutely extraordinary story.”

Capasso has analysed St Teresa’s remains aided by three anthropologists from the Italian G. D’Annunzio University, in Chieti-Pescara.

“We have through this task reconstructed the story stored in St Teresa’s biology,” he told Alba de Tormes al Día.

On 15 March, Capasso gave a 53-page preliminary report on the state of the relics to the Order of Discalced Carmelites.

St Teresa’s body, left arm and heart remain in Alba de Tormes, while her right arm is kept in Malaga and her right foot in Rome.

“The right foot, left hand, her heart and left arm are perfectly preserved,” said Capasso. He added: “The skin is intact, the subcutaneous tissues and muscles are where they should be and show no sign of degradation.”

He said the preservation of her face was particularly surprising: the eyelid and arco iris of St Teresa’s right eye are still intact, and so too are her nasal tissues. 

“This preservation more than 400 years after her death conveys the serenity with which she faced her end,” he said.

The straps of her sandals are visible on her feet, as is the line of her wimple on Teresa’s forehead.

“This is a truly unique natural phenomenon,” said Capasso, a professor of anthropology at G. D’Annunzio University who has conducted 40 similar studies.

The key to St Teresa’s remarkable preservation was the dry environment in which her relics are kept, he explained. This avoided humidity which speeds up the body’s decomposition.

The studies, which began last August, also revealed St Teresa’s ailments, including a curvature of the spine that meant she would have struggled to breathe and been uncomfortable lying on a pillow.

In addition, she had acute arthritis in her left knee, while spurs on her feet would have made her limp. St Teresa had also lost almost all of her teeth, while her right arm reveals signs of wear, reflecting her prolific writing.

An Australian sculptor has reconstructed the face of St Teresa at the request of Prof Capasso.

To recreate the face of the saint at the age of 50, Jennifer Mann said she had “combined all the sources of data I had on the face, starting with anthropomorphic measurements and X-ray images, but also a portrait of the saint and a description [from] Mother Mary of St Joseph, who lived with her.”

The remains of St Teresa will be on display at the Basilica de la Anunciación in Alba de Tormes Spain on 11-25 May.

Fr Miguel Ángel González, the Carmelite prior in Alba de Tormes, said the findings helped to enrich people “through the example of her life”.

Teresa of Ávila found ‘incorrupt’ – but had ‘fragile constitution’

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