''Teresa de Jesús'' is a Spanish television mini-series produced by

Televisión Española Televisión Española (acronym TVE, branded tve, "Spanish Television") is Spain's national state-owned public television broadcaster and the oldest regular television service in the country. It was also the first regular television service in ...

and broadcast in its Primera Cadena in 1984. Directed by Josefina Molina and written by

Víctor García de la Concha Víctor García de la Concha (born 2 January 1934, Villaviciosa, Asturias)Carmen Martín Gaite Carmen Martín Gaite (8 December 1925 – 23 July 2000) was a Spanish author. She wrote many novels, short stories, screenplays, and essays, across many genres. Gaite was awarded the Premio Nadal in 1957 for '' Entre visillos'', the Prince ...

and Molina herself, it stars

Concha Velasco Concepción Velasco Varona OAXS MML (born 29 November 1939), known professionally as Concha Velasco, or Conchita Velasco in her beginnings, is a Spanish actress, singer and television presenter. She has received numerous accolades throughou ...

Teresa of Avila Teresa (also Theresa, Therese; french: Thérèse) is a feminine given name. It originates in the Iberian Peninsula in late antiquity. Its derivation is uncertain, it may be derived from Greek θερίζω (''therízō'') "to harvest or rea ...

. The 450 minutes eight episodes mini-series was also released as a 222 minutes feature film. It also exists a four episodes shortened version.

Premise

It presents the life of

, a

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...

saint In religious belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of Q-D-Š, holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and Christian denomination, denominat ...

, mystic, and

doctor Doctor or The Doctor may refer to: Personal titles * Doctor (title), the holder of an accredited academic degree * A medical practitioner, including: ** Physician ** Surgeon ** Dentist ** Veterinary physician ** Optometrist *Other roles ** ...

of the Roman Catholic Church, (Spanish version of announcement) who was at one time proclaimed "patron saint of the Spanish race" by the Spanish government, and has been proposed on multiple occasions since her death to be an official

patron saint A patron saint, patroness saint, patron hallow or heavenly protector is a saint who in Catholicism, Anglicanism, or Eastern Orthodoxy is regarded as the heavenly advocate of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, family, or perso ...

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

. Its dialogue is in Spanish, but versions with English subtitles are available.Amazon DVD listing
product description (accessed 1 May 2011) The film stars

as Teresa. Also appearing are Gonzalo Abril as Lorenzo de Cepeda (Teresa's younger brother, 2/8 episodes), María Massip as Juana Suárez (Teresa's friend, 2/8 episodes),

Francisco Rabal Francisco Rabal Valera (8 March 1926 – 29 August 2001), better known as Paco Rabal, was a Spanish actor, director, and screenwriter born in Águilas, a town in the south-western part of the province of Murcia, Spain. Throughout his career, Raba ...

Peter of Alcantara Peter may refer to: People * List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Peter (given name) ** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church * Peter (surname), a sur ...

(1 episode),

Héctor Alterio Héctor Benjamín Alterio Onorato (born 21 September 1929) is an Argentine theatre, film and television actor, well known both in Argentina and Spain. Biography Alterio's theatre debut came in 1948 as the lead in ''Cómo suicidarse en prima ...

(1 episode), and Marina Saura as another nun (8 episodes). It tells the story of Teresa's life from age 23 (in the year 1538) until her death at age 67 (in 1582).

Synopsis

''Teresa de Jesús'' was originally broadcast from 12 March to 30 April 1984, in the following 8 episodes:Episodes at IMDB for "Teresa de Jesús" (1984)
/ref> *Episode 1 (12 Mar): Vida. Teresa is age 23, ill, and travelling to see a local healer. Along the way she is introduced to Francisco de Osuna's book, '' The Third Spiritual Alphabet'', which kindles her spiritual interest. She does not respond to treatment, but meets and helps a troubled local priest.DVD booklet, section entitled "About the Film". *Episode 2 (19 Mar): Camino de perfección. Teresa's illness continues for 3 years and she experiences a coma for 3 days, but benefits from a miraculous cure she attributes to

St. Joseph Joseph (; el, Ἰωσήφ, translit=Ioséph) was a 1st-century Jewish man of Nazareth who, according to the canonical Gospels, was married to Mary, the mother of Jesus, and was the legal father of Jesus. The Gospels also name some brothers ...

. She experiences spiritual aridity, but is inspired by reading St. Augustine's '' Confessions''. She experiences mystical visions that provoke distrust and opposition from fellow nuns and priests. *Episode 3 (26 Mar): Cuentas de conciencia. Further mystical visions, and continued opposition. She meets her spiritual guide

, and first contemplates the idea of a reform movement within her order, the

Carmelites , image = , caption = Coat of arms of the Carmelites , abbreviation = OCarm , formation = Late 12th century , founder = Early hermits of Mount Carmel , founding_location = Mount Car ...

. *Episode 4 (2 Apr): Desafío espiritual. Founding of the first

reformed Reform is beneficial change Reform may also refer to: Media * ''Reform'' (album), a 2011 album by Jane Zhang * Reform (band), a Swedish jazz fusion group * ''Reform'' (magazine), a Christian magazine *''Reforme'' ("Reforms"), initial name of the ...

convent, in

Ávila Ávila (, , ) is a city of Spain located in the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is the capital and most populated municipality of the Province of Ávila. It lies on the right bank of the Adaja river. Located more than 1,130 m abov ...

, despite strong opposition from the neighborhood residents. First experiences in living by the new

rule Rule or ruling may refer to: Education * Royal University of Law and Economics (RULE), a university in Cambodia Human activity * The exercise of political or personal control by someone with authority or power * Business rule, a rule perta ...

. *Episode 5 (9 Apr): Fundaciones. Founding of several more reformed convents. Teresa meets a young man who joins her order in its first monastery. He was later to become St. John of the Cross. *Episode 6 (16 Apr): Visita de descalzas. Teresa is appointed against her wishes as prioress of her original (unreformed) convent, and she continues visiting and managing challenges of the newly founded reformed houses. She meets her confessor Father

Jerónimo Gracián Jerónimo Gracián or Jerome Gratian (6 June 1545 – 21 September 1614) was a Spanish Carmelite and writer. He was the spiritual director of St Teresa of Ávila, who took a vow of obedience to him. , (457 pages) He was the first Provincial of ...

,See Jerónimo Gracián at Spanish Wikipedia and is denounced to the Inquisition by

Princess Eboli Princess is a regal rank and the feminine equivalent of prince (from Latin ''princeps'', meaning wiktionary:principal, principal citizen). Most often, the term has been used for the consort of a prince, or for the daughter of a king or prince. ...

, a noblewoman whose unreasonable demands Teresa had resisted. *Episode 7 (23 Apr): Las moradas. Conflicts come to a head between reformed (

Discalced A discalced congregation is a religious congregation that goes barefoot or wears sandals. These congregations are often distinguished on this account from other branches of the same order. The custom of going unshod was introduced into the West b ...

) and unreformed (Calced) orders. St. John of the Cross is imprisoned and tortured by monks of the unreformed order. Eventually, The Pope approves autonomous status for the reformed orders, shielding them from interference from the unreformed. *Episode 8 (30 Apr): Hija de la Iglesia. Teresa's final illness, last wishes, and passing away. An epilogue about the reported

incorruptibility Incorruptibility is a Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox belief that divine intervention allows some human bodies (specifically saints and beati) to completely or partially avoid the normal process of decomposition after death as a sign of their ...

of her remains, and her wider posthumous recognition, including her

canonization Canonization is the declaration of a deceased person as an officially recognized saint, specifically, the official act of a Christian communion declaring a person worthy of public veneration and entering their name in the canon catalogue of ...

. In 2008, the film was released in the US as a 3-disc DVD set with English subtitles.''St. Teresa of Avila eresa de Jesus'
Ignatius Press
, , . Includes a 16-page booklet with same title. It included a 16-page booklet with episode summaries, Teresa's biography (4-pages) and timeline (1 page), a set of 9 discussion questions, an interview with historian

Thomas Dubay Father Thomas Edward Dubay (December 30, 1921 – September 26, 2010), S.M., was an American Catholic priest, author, and retreat director. He wrote over 20 books on Catholic spirituality, in which he emphasized the importance of renewed conversi ...

, and a bibliography for further reading.DVD booklet.

Awards

''Teresa de Jesús'' won several awards:Awards at IMDB for "Teresa de Jesús" (1984)
/ref> *Antena de Oro (1984) *Fotogramas de Plata (1985), Best TV Performer (Mejor intérprete de televisión): Concha Velasco *TP de Oro (1985), Best Actress (Mejor Actriz): Concha Velasco *TP de Oro (1985), Best National Series (Mejor Serie Nacional)

References

External links

''Teresa de Jesús''
official page at

RTVE Play RTVE Play (often stylized as rtve play) is the over-the-top media service provided by the Spanish public broadcaster RTVE. It was launched in Spain on 22 June 2021, replacing the old catalogue 'RTVE a la carta', created in turn in 2008. History ...

* Full episodes (no subtitles):
Episode 1 (1:00:05)(alternate)

Episode 2 (57:47)

Episode 3 (56:23)

Episode 4 (57:45)

Episode 5 (54:14)

Episode 6 (56:11)

Episode 7 (52:57)

Episode 8 (51:27)
Excerpts:
Excerpt (Episode 3)
from YouTube (no subtitles) {{DEFAULTSORT:Teresa De Jesus 1984 films Spanish television films Films about Catholicism 1980s Spanish-language films Films directed by Josefina Molina RTVE shows 1984 Spanish television series debuts 1984 Spanish television series endings Spanish television miniseries