The remarkably preserved remains of Saint Teresa of Jesus, a 16th-century Catholic nun and mystic, have been unveiled to the public for the first time in over 440-years, stirring deep emotion among the faithful.
Displayed inside a glass coffin at the Basilica Annunciation of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Spain’s Salamanca province, the body of the revered saint was revealed on Sunday, May 11, as part of a rare public veneration ceremony.
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.
“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.