'Doctors of the Church' on the Camino

[rappahannock_rev]

What do Thomas Aquinas, Teresa of Avila, John Chrysostom, Augustine of Hippo and Therese de Lisieux all have in common? They are saints who have been declared 'Doctors of the Church' -- saints whose writings and preachings are deemed especially authoritative, and useful to Christians of any age of the Church.

There are lots and lots of saints, but there are fewer than forty 'Doctors of the Church.'! Are there any buried on the Camino? There are. One is Isidore of Seville, who rests in a great and well-known basilica in downtown Leon. I've paid my respects each time I've passed through Leon.

But there is second, whose resting place I've passed by twice without knowing about it or visiting it. I've never seen any Forum chatter about it. It goes entirely unmentioned in my battered 8th edition of Brierley. And this I find rather amazing. You can bet that if Thomas Aquinas was buried on the Camino his resting place would get some attention!

Lawrence of Brindisi (1559-1619) was declared a 'Doctor of the Church' by Pope John XXIII. His feast is July 21st. The details of his life are easily found on-line. He lies in the Poor Clares' Convento de la Anunciada in Villafranca del Bierzo.

Has anyone been there? Is his tomb accessible? Can anyone tell me anything about it? Because I'd very much like to visit it when next I go through Villafranca del Bierzo.

 

[mspath]

Here is some information in Spanish on the Convent.
http://www.monestirs.cat/monst/annex/espa/calleo/lleo/cvbanun.htm

http://www.villafrancadelbierzo.org/turismo-patrimonio-la-anunciada.php

Check here to see if it is a BIC
ie listed/protected in the Spanish national list of Bienes de Interés Cultural. (The on-line list can be easily searched in a multitude of languages.)

http://www.mecd.gob.es/cultura-mecd/areas-cultura/patrimonio/bienes-culturales-protegidos.html

 

[Castilian]

www.villafrancadelbierzo.org/La_Anunciada.pdf For info about La Anunciada (history, links with St. Lawrence of Brindisi...).

I don't know what's the current situation regarding visits but it was possible to make tourist visits. Ask at the tourist office in Villafranca del Bierzo. Otherwise, there's a daily mass so you could take a look before (or after) mass.

 

[rappahannock_rev]

www.villafrancadelbierzo.org/La_Anunciada.pdf For info about the monastery (history, links with St. Lawrence of Brindisi...).

I don't know what's the current situation regarding visits but it was possible to make tourist visits. Ask at the tourist office in Villafranca del Bierzo. Otherwise, there's a daily mass so you could take a look before (or after) mass.

Splendid stuff! My Castilian is good enough that I should have no difficulty reading this. Can't thank you enough!

 

[rappahannock_rev]

Follow up: May not be in Brierley, but is in Gilitz and Davidson.

 

[VNwalking]

Thanks, @rappahannock_rev--and Castilian and mspath! Filed away for 'next time'. (I love this kind of stuff and am eagerly awaiting my copy of Gilitz and Davidson, which I finally broke down and bought. )

 

[andy.d]

Juan de la Cruz is in Segovia on the Madrid.
Teresa de Jesus in Alba de Tormes, which will either be on or reasonably close to the VdlP.
The Levante takes you through Toledo and Segovia

 

[Castilian]

Teresa de Jesus in Alba de Tormes, which will either be on or reasonably close to the VdlP.

Alba de Tormes is something like 20kms away from the Vía de la Plata. However, there's a Camino Teresiano linking Ávila (on the Camino de Levante and the Camino del Sureste) with Alba de Tormes and another one linking Salamanca (on the Vía de la Plata) with Alba de Tormes so you could walk all the way from Ávila to Salamanca mixing both caminos. For info about the caminos teresianos: www.caminosteresianos.com

The Levante takes you through Toledo and Segovia

The Levante doesn't go through Segovia. It goes from Valencia (where, BTW, is buried St. Thomas of Villanova who was said to be a candidate to Doctor of the Church) to Zamora passing through Toledo and Ávila among other cities.

P.S.: The rests of San Juan de Ávila, another Doctor of the Church, are on a basilica in Montilla (Córdoba province). Montilla is roughly 15 kms away from Espejo being Espejo on the Camino Mozárabe.

 

[oursonpolaire]

Thomas Aquinas is indeed buried on the Camino-- in Toulouse in the church of the Jacobins, on the Chemin d'Arles. I called upon him in 2005

 

[rappahannock_rev]

By golly, you're right! Mea culpa.

I paid my respects to the doctor in Toulouse in the summer of 1977.... and I quite liked the place!

Toulouse didn't 'say' Camino to me in '77, but that's because I simply wan't Camino-minded at the time.... (Was anybody Camino-minded in '77?)

Pax

 

[Castilian]

Was anybody Camino-minded in '77?

http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camino_de_Santiago#El_Camino_moderno (scroll down a bit till the graphic and the chart under it)