Ávila: Difference between revisions

| notable_catholic_sites = Ávila Cathedral (Catedral del Salvador); Basilica of San Vicente; Convent of St. Teresa (birthplace); Monastery of the Incarnation; Monastery of St. Thomas (Real Monasterio de Santo Tomás)

Ávila's origins date to pre-Roman times as a Vettonian settlement. Romanization brought the first Christian influences, with tradition claiming an early episcopal see by the 4th century. The diocese is documented from the Visigothic period, though suppressed during the Muslim conquest (c. 9th century) and restored after the Christian reconquest in the 11th century.

The diocese was re-established around 1088 as a suffragan of Toledo, later Mérida and Santiago de Compostela until 1857 when it joined the province of Valladolid. The 11th–12th centuries saw the construction of the Romanesque Basilica of San Vicente (over the martyrdom site of Saints Vincent, Sabina, and Cristeta, c. 4th century) and the Gothic Cathedral of the Saviour (begun 1091), one of Spain's earliest Gothic structures. Ávila became a center of religious life in the 16th century through the reforms of Saint Teresa of Ávila (1515–1582) and Saint John of the Cross (1542–1591), who collaborated in founding the Discalced Carmelites. Hagiographic tradition holds that Teresa experienced profound mystical visions and levitations in the Monastery of the Incarnation, where she lived as a Carmelite from 1535 until her death.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teresa_of_%C3%81vila |title=Teresa of Ávila |publisher=Wikipedia |access-date=2025-11-24}}</ref>

The city walls, completed in the 11th century, protected the Christian population during the Reconquista. The Real Monasterio de Santo Tomás (1482–1493), a Dominican foundation, served as a royal residence and university, hosting Christopher Columbus before his voyage.

The diocese, covering 8,048 km², reported 150,100 Catholics (94.2% of 159,317 total population) in 2024, served by 265 parishes and 97 missions across the province.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.gcatholic.org/dioceses/diocese/avil0.htm |title=Diocese of Ávila |publisher=GCatholic.org |access-date=2025-11-24}}</ref> Within the city itself, approximately 20 Latin-rite parishes operate. The diocese maintains strong devotion to Saint Teresa (feast 15 October), with annual processions and the Teresian Jubilee Year 2015–2025 drawing pilgrims. The Monastery of the Incarnation and Convent of St. Teresa (built over her birthplace) remain active Carmelite houses.

The Diocese of Ávila oversees 265 parishes province-wide, but the city hosts around 20, including the Cathedral parish. Notable sacramental sites include the '''Catedral del Salvador''' (Gothic-Romanesque hybrid, relic of Saint Teresa's finger); '''Basilica of San Vicente''' (Romanesque shrine of early martyrs); '''Convent of St. Teresa''' (birthplace, museum and relics); '''Monastery of the Incarnation''' (Teresa's cell and visions); and '''Real Monasterio de Santo Tomás''' (UNESCO site, royal pantheon). Devotion to Saint Teresa dominates, with her feast featuring processions and the "Teresian Way" pilgrimage route.