St. John of the Cross, priest, confessor, and Doctor of the Church. He was a companion of St. Teresa in the reformation of the Carmelites. His natal day Not his birthday but the day he died and was "born again" into Heaven. is December 14 – Roman Martyrology for November 24
St. John of the Cross (1542-91) worked with St. Teresa of Ávila to return the Carmelite order to the strict discipline of its original constitutions. This work led to sometimes violent objections within the order and some very bad treatment for John. Eventually he and Teresa were permitted to set up male and female convents of "Discalced" Carmelites separate from the others. ("Discalced" means "shoeless": they wore sandals whereas the "Mitigated" Carmelites wore shoes.)
Most portraits of John of the Cross have him in the Discalced Carmelite habit: a white mantle over a dark brown tunic and scapular. To distinguish him from other Discalceds, most images refer to his name by giving him a cross or crucifix.
Prepared in 2018 by Richard Stracke, Emeritus Professor of English, Augusta University.
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![]() Zurbarán's portrait of St. John of the Cross, 1656 (See the description page.) ![]() A statue of the saint in a 1742 retable (See the description page.) ![]() Bernardo Falconi's statue in the Scalzi Church, Venice. (See the description page.) ATTRIBUTES
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