Saint Teresa of Ávila's Martyrdom: Images of her Transverberation in Mexican Colonial Painting

The images of the Transverberation of St. Teresa of Jesus originated insome of the episodes that are related by the saint, especially of the Librode la vida in the 13th paragraph of the 29th chapter. The book had greatsuccess all over Europe after it was first published in Salamanca(Guillermo Foquel, 1588). However, the famed episode of theTransverberation was represented for the first time in the Vida gráfica(Antwerp, 1613) and this image was reproduced freely via prints. Among themost famous representation are a painting by Rubens, destroyed by fire in1940, and the magnificent sculpture by Bernini, at the Church of SantaMaria della Vittoria in Rome. The scene was also accepted in New Spain withgreat enthusiasm and it became one of the most popular topics in religiouspainting. Wilson studies the image of the Transverberation not only as amystic experience but also as a “virtual” martyrdom that is clearlyexpressed in a painting by Juan Correa based on a Flemish engraving byRichard Collin (17th century). Wilson recalls that both Saint Teresa andher brother Rodrigo used to read the lives of the saints during theirchildhood and that they even imagined themselves being martyred in the landof the Moors in North Africa. The iconography for the representations ofSaint Teresa are taken from the topics that were used for illustrate theMartyrdom of Saint Ursula.