Saint John of the Cross, Doctor of the Church

Image of Saint John of the Cross

• Piece of religious imagery of Saint John of the Cross.
• For sale in 30 cm.
• Made of pulp wood following traditional processes.
• Image with glass eyes.
• hand painted
• Piece of religious imagery decorated with a metal ring and a Cross.

Saint John of the Cross, life of a Saint

In the year 1542, San Juan de la Cruz, who will be recognized as one of the most important mystical poets in history, was born in the town of Fontiveros, province of Ávila, Spain.

He was baptized with the name of Juan de Yepes Álvarez and was born into a family with few resources. From a very young age he had to look for life and food.

While going to school, San Juan de la Cruz began to learn different trades with the intention of helping the domestic economy. At first he was trained as a weaver, but Saint John of the Cross was not destined for this trade.

Throughout his youth, San Juan de la Cruz, carried out different trades but none managed to retain him for long. Finally in 1563, at the age of 21, Saint John of the Cross takes the Carmelite habit and becomes part of the Community of the Carmelite Convent of Medina del Campo, in the province of Valladolid, Spain. In this first moment of his monastic life he takes the name of Juan de Santo Matía.

Saint John of the Cross is ordained a priest four years after entering the Carmelite Convent.

After these years he came into contact with Saint Teresa of Jesus , a person who would have an important influence on the life of Saint John of the Cross. Both Saints have very similar ideas and believe in the importance of reforming the Order of Mount Carmel . Already at that time, Saint Teresa of Jesus had founded her first reformed Carmelite monastery.

Saint Teresa of Jesus convinces Saint John of the Cross to help her found the first reformed Carmelite monastery of monks.

The following years were turbulent times, interspersing years of important evangelizing work with times of great hardship. He was a confessor in different monasteries, he retired on numerous occasions to meditate and pray to the mountains, he was imprisoned suffering great torments, he was practically expelled from the Carmelites because the leadership of the Order of Mount Carmel did not want his presence or knowledge, etc...

Saint John of the Cross faced all the difficulties of his life with great fortitude. He took advantage of every moment to learn and increase his knowledge about God and about life. With all this vital learning he wrote important literary works. Books such as "The Ascent of Mount Carmel", "The Dark Night of the Soul" and "Spiritual Song" have received recognition from the international literary scene.

We celebrate the day of Saint John of the Cross on December 14 , the day in 1591 the Saint left this world to travel to the abode of God.