This issue of Carmelite Studies presents
new insights into the lives and writings
of individuals who knew Teresa of Avila
in life and who, after her death in 1582,
worked to propagate and defend her legacy,
including the illustrious nuns Anne of
St. Bartholomew, Ana of Jesus, Maria of
St. Joseph, and Ana of St. Augustine, and
her close male confidant and collaborator,
Jerome Gracian of the Mother of God. A
further focus of the essays is the
reception of the Teresian heritage by
individuals outside the order, as mediated
by these early Discalced Carmelites and
by Teresa's published writings.
The essays were originally presented at
the 2004 symposium The Heirs of St. Teresa
at Georgetown University. That year marked
the 400th anniversary of a pivotal moment
in Discalced Carmelite history: the arrival
in France of a group of six nuns, some of
Teresa's most favored proteges, including
Ana of Jesus and Anne of St. Bartholomew,
who traveled from Spain to inaugurate the
order's first French convent. Motivated by
devotion to their Founding Mother, amidst
success and setbacks, these and other of
Teresa's heirs strove to carry out her
will with a resolute determination and to
extend her reputation for sanctity
throughout the world.
