The well preserved corpse of a 16th century Catholic saint has been unveiled to the public.
Many faithful Catholics were left overwhelmed when they saw the 440-year-old body of Saint Teresa of Jesus inside a glass coffin in Spain.
The Discalced Carmelite nun’s body was put on display to the public for the first time since 1914 at the Basilica Annunciation of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Spain’s Salamanca province on Sunday, May 11.
While visibly skeletal at a glance, parts of the corpse are said to still be remarkably well preserved.
Several visitors at the Basilica were visibly emotional at the sight of the centuries-old body.
Many others were seen praying before St. Teresa’s corpse.
Discalced Carmelite nuns, monks and priests had opened her coffin so that relics of her heart, hand and arm could be studied. They compared the state of the body to a photo of the same remains from 1914.
“The uncovered parts, which are the face and foot, are the same as those they were in 1914,” Father Marco Chiesa said.
“There is no colour, there is no skin colour, because the skin is mummified, but it is seen, especially in the middle of the face.”
It came as part of a ceremony of public veneration – which has only taken place three times since the saint’s death in 1582, according to Exaudi.org.
The other two ceremonies were in 1760 and 1914, making this a once-in-a-lifetime chance for the faithful to pay their respects this way.
Researchers have marvelled at the body’s incredible state of preservation.
St Teresa is the patron saint of chess players, lace makers, loss of parents, people in need of grace, people in religious orders, people ridiculed for their piety, and those who are sick.
She was a Spanish nun and became the first woman to be elevated to doctor of the church in 1970, an honor given to deceased saints for their significant contribution to the church’s doctrine.
St Teresa was canonised – meaning she was declared a saint – in March 1622.
Since her body was last exhumed, it has been described as ‘incorrupt,’ meaning it hasn’t undergone the normal process of decomposing after death.
Researchers want to uncover how St Teresa’s body has still not deteriorated and hope that it can provide information about how to preserve relics in the future.
credit: LIB/ dailymail
