The Life of Saint John of the Cross
Description:
From the hidden villages of Old Castile to the austere cells of reforming monasteries, The Life of Saint John of the Cross unveils the extraordinary journey of one of the Church’s greatest mystics and Doctors.
Born in 1542, John of the Cross burned with an ardent love for God and the Blessed Virgin from childhood. His life, marked by miracles, persecution, poetic brilliance, and heroic sanctity, unfolds here through one of the earliest surviving accounts of the Carmelite reform.
Drawn from the 1680 Speculum Carmelitanum, this rare biography preserves a voice close to the saint’s own age. It recounts John’s collaboration with St. Teresa of Ávila in founding the Discalced Carmelites, their bold restoration of Carmelite poverty and contemplation, and the trials that followed.
Yet beyond the reformer stands the mystical theologian whose teaching on the “dark night of the soul” continues to guide Christians toward purification, detachment, and transforming union with God. Interwoven with historical testimony are selections from John’s luminous poetry, inviting readers not only to study the saint’s life, but to enter more deeply into the path he taught.
Author: St. Teresa Of Avila
Translator: Fr. Robert Nixon, OSBPublisher : TAN BooksPages : 104Publication Date: 2026ISBN : 9781505137040No. 2022200134