John of the Cross

Juan de Yepes was born in 1542 at Fontiveros, near Ávila in Castile, into a poor family; his father died when he was a child. He worked in a hospital while studying with the Jesuits at Medina del Campo, entered the Carmelite order in 1563 and studied at Salamanca. In 1567 he met Teresa of Ávila, who persuaded him to join her reform, and in 1568 he helped found the first house of Discalced Carmelite friars, taking the name John of the Cross. Friars opposed to the reform kidnapped him in 1577 and imprisoned him for about nine months in a small cell in Toledo, where he composed much of his Spiritual Canticle before escaping. He later served as prior and leader in Andalusia and wrote commentaries on his poems: The Ascent of Mount Carmel, The Dark Night, The Spiritual Canticle and The Living Flame of Love. He died at Úbeda in 1591. He was canonized in 1726 and declared a Doctor of the Church in 1926, and is counted among the great poets of the Spanish language. His writings guide Christians through seasons of spiritual dryness.

John of the Cross is also an author in the library: author page and works.

Faith: Spanish Discalced Carmelite friar and mystic; a Catholic saint and Doctor of the Church. Source: Catholic Encyclopedia (1913)