Experts reveal details about a 16th-century Catholic saint found 'perfectly preserved': 'Truly unique'
Researchers are beginning to release details about a 16th-century Catholic saint whose body was found miraculously "incorrupt" last year.
St. Teresa of Jesus, also known as St. Teresa of Avila, was a Discalced Carmelite nun who died in 1582. In September, the Diocese of Avila announced that officials had opened her tomb in Alba de Tormes, Spain, for the first time in 110 years, and the results were extraordinary.
"The uncovered parts, which are the face and foot, are the same as they were in 1914," Father Marco Chiesa said at the time. "There is no color, there is no skin color, because the skin is mummified, but it is seen, especially in the middle of the face.
"[It] looks good," he added. "Expert doctors see Teresa's face almost clearly."
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According to the Spanish newspaper Salamanca RTV Al Día, Discalced Carmelites received a 53-page preliminary analysis of the saint's condition March 15. The report details the state of the relics, which include her body, left arm and heart in Alba de Tormes.
Italian anthropology professor Luigi Capasso described St. Teresa's remains as "perfectly preserved."
"The right foot, left hand, heart and left arm are perfectly preserved, with intact skin, subcutaneous tissues and muscles in place and no signs of degradation," Capasso told the outlet.
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St. Teresa's corpse also maintains preserved strands of brown hair, in addition to one right eyelid and a dark iris, according to the Spanish outlet. Remarkably, some of her nasal tissues were still intact.
"This preservation, more than 400 years after her death, transmits a serenity that reflects how she faced her departure," Capasso said.
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The saint's forehead also still retains the imprint of the saint's 16th-century Carmelite headdress.
Researchers chalk up St. Teresa's remarkable condition to the dry atmosphere of her tomb because excessive moisture typically accelerates the decomposing process. Capasso said his team has taken special care to "block any future degradation, mechanical or biological."
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"It is a truly unique natural phenomenon," the professor said.
The newest observations come after the Carmelites released their initial findings last year. After St. Teresa's tomb was opened last summer, experts said they were able to determine her health conditions before she died.
"We know that the last few years were difficult for her to walk, in the pains she herself describes," Chiesa said at the time. "Sometimes, looking at a body, you discover more than the person had [spoken about].
"Analyzing [her foot relic located in Rome], we saw the presence of calcareous spines that make walking almost impossible," the priest added. "But she walked [to] Alba de Tormes and then died, but her desire was to continue and move forward despite the physical defects."