Following the footsteps of Spain’s spiritual saint

A Different View with Dave O’Connell

It’s a sort of Spanish version of the Wild Atlantic Way for those of a spiritual persuasion – seventeen towns and cities right through the middle of Iberia intrinsically linked because they all boast a convent established by St Teresa of Avila.

Naturally, Avila itself is top of the pile – a beautiful old walled city north of Madrid – but what this experience brings you, apart from the obvious religious experience, is a chance to visit those parts of Spain, down through the spine of the country, that, chances are, you’d never otherwise see.

The Spanish call it Huellas (meaning footsteps) de Teresa de Jesús, but the reality is that you’d be a lifetime doing this on foot.

And like our of Wild Atlantic Way, you’d be best to pick a section and enjoy the splendour and magnificence of the lesser spotted Spain.

The better known destinations that make up the Huellas include Sevilla, Valladolid, Granada and Salamanca – home to Irish monks in penal times – but the real secret here is the small towns like Malagón or Beas de Segura or the beautiful Caravaca de la Cruz where history just exudes from its very pores.

As a concept, Huellas de Teresa de Jesús is really only a year in existence – a tourism and marketing effort to bring visitors off the beaten track.

What you get is a sense of the commitment of St Teresa of Avila and St John of the Cross, with whom she worked hand in glove to found these convents and monasteries, as well as a sense of wonder at the majesty of these baroque buildings, teeming with gold adornments and steeped in history.

Teresa of Ávila lived from 1515 to 1582); she was a prominent Spanish mystic, Carmelite nun and theologian of the contemplative life through prayer.

In 1622, forty years after her death, she was canonised by Pope Gregory XV and in 1970 she was the first woman to be named a Doctor of the Church by Pope Paul VI.

As a founder of convents, she was prolific – and her mark is to be seen on so many Spanish towns and cities – but it is her home place of Avila that simply stops you in your tracks.

The old walled city has 88 towers and nine gates to protect it – and inside is a maze of cobbled streets and old buildings that would bring you back in time if it wasn’t for the passing traffic.

Spain has a network of what it calls Paradores – beautiful old castles and historical buildings that had probably fallen into some state of disrepair over the decades, but which are now restored as luxury hotels and accommodation at prices everyone can afford.

Best of all, given their historical relevance, they are normally located close to the oldest part of the city – as was the case with Parador de Ávila, where the service was outstanding and the staff were exemplary from the general manager down.

Avila brings Teresa to life, because it is the city of her childhood, youth and maturity, years of hopes, projects, starting point of her foundations.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.