Carmelite QuotesFor, aside from the love I bore [Saint Teresa] and that she had for me, I had another great consolation in her company: almost continually I saw Jesus Christ in her soul and the manner in which He was united to it, as if it was his heaven. This knowledge filled me with the deep reverence one should feel in the presence of God. Truly it was heavenly to serve her, and the greatest torture was to see her suffer.
I spent about fourteen years with her. Immediately, when I entered to receive the habit, she took me into her cell, and during the rest of her life I was always with her, except during her journey to Seville; for then, as has already been said, I was sick at Avila. And these fourteen years seemed to me less than one day.”
Blessed Anne of St. Bartholomew
Book III, Chapter X
Born Ana García Manzanas on 10 October 1549 in Almendral de la Cañada, Spain, Blessed Anne of St. Bartholomew was a close companion of St. Teresa of Avila and a significant figure in the Carmelite Reform. She entered the Discalced Carmelite Order as a lay sister in 1570 and made her profession on 15 August 1572.
Anne served as St. Teresa’s nurse and secretary during the last years of the saint’s life and was with her until her death on 4 October 1582. This date marked the last day of the Julian calendar in Spain, and the next day, 15 October 1582, introduced the Gregorian calendar. St. Teresa died in Anne’s arms.
After St. Teresa’s death, Anne continued her work within the Order, living in Avila, Madrid, and Ocana. In 1604, she traveled to Paris with Venerable Anne of Jesus and a group of Carmelite nuns to establish the first Discalced Carmelite monastery in France. She was later elected prioress of Pontoise and Tours.
In 1611, seeking to escape the influence of Cardinal Pierre de Bérulle, Anne moved to Flanders to be under the spiritual leadership of the Discalced Carmelite friars. In 1612, she founded the Discalced Carmelite monastery in Antwerp, where she became known as the Protectress of Antwerp.
Anne of St. Bartholomew passed away on 7 June 1626 in Antwerp. She was beatified by Pope Benedict XV on 6 May 1917. Her feast day, 7 June, gives way to the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart this year.
Listen to the full biography on our podcast above!
Additional Resources
You can find Blessed Anne’s autobiography in ePub format for download on archive.org. A magisterial biography of Blessed Anne by Sister Paqui Sellés, OCD was published in 2014 on the Spanish blog, Teresa, de la Rueca a la Pluma, edited by the Discalced Carmelite nuns of Puçol (Valencia). The Discalced Carmelite General Postulation website also has a biography published in Italian.
Join us to pray and reflect on the Liturgy of the Hours for the Optional Memorial of Blessed Anne of St. Bartholomew.
Anne of St. Bartholomew, M; Bouix, M 1917, Autobiography of the Blessed Mother Anne of Saint Bartholomew, inseparable companion of Saint Teresa, and foundress of the Carmels of Pontoise, Tours and Antwerp, translated from the French by Michael, M A, H. S. Collins Printing Co., Saint Louis.
Translation from the Italian text is the blogger’s own work product and may not be reproduced without permission.
Featured image: Y el almendro floreció (And the almond tree blossomed) is an oil on canvas painting by Sister Isabel Guerra, O.Cist., an artist from the monastery of Santa Lucia in Zaragoza, Spain. This artwork is found in one of the chapels in the Primatial Cathedral of St. Mary of Toledo, Spain. Image credit: Discalced Carmelites
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Autobiography of the Blessed Mother Anne of Saint Bartholomew, inseparable companion of Saint Teresa, and foundress of the Carmels of Pontoise, Tours and Antwerp: : Anne of St. Bartholomew, Mother, 1550-1626 : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive
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