St John Of The Cross was born in Fontiveros (Castilla) in the year 1542. He entered the Carmelite Order in Medina del Campo and in 1567 he was ordained a priest in Salamanca. The summer of that year he met Mother Teresa of Jesus in Medina del Campo. At the time of that fortunate encounter, the foundress was 52 and the “santico” fray Juan was 25.

The intuition of St. Teresa was accurate and undeniable. From then on these two great mystic authors of Christianity walked together in the history of Carmel and Christian spirituality. Won over by her for the new ideal of Carmel, John of the Cross initiated the new experience of the Carmelite life with Fr. Antonio de Jesus and others in Duruelo, Avila, on November 28, 1568. He shines with his own light in Carmel and the Church.