St. Teresa of Ávila

Abstract

Sculpture of Saint Teresa in the right surplus of the mannerist altar of Saint Nicholas with the statue of Saint Cecilia on the left are works of unidentified origin. It is certain that they are not elements of the original furnishings of this altar. They were placed there at an unspecified time, before 1833, replacing earlier, slightly smaller carved statues of saints. Both sculptures were created in the same, probably Lesser Poland, wood carving and sculpting workshop in the 17th century (after 1622, i.e. the date of canonization of Saint Teresa). In the church of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Paczółtowice they were first recorded in the temple's inventory in 1833. St. Teresa of Ávila, a Carmelite nun and a mystic living in 16th-century Spain, is considered one of the most important figures of contemplative life and, together with Saint John of the Cross, she is the founder of the Order of Discalced Carmelites. In iconography, she is sometimes depicted as a woman in a brown Carmelite habit wearing a book and a feather. In the case of the statue in question, these attributes are missing, however, a record in the inventory from 1833 enables to recognise Saint Teresa of Ávila clearly.