Santa Teresa de Jesús Convent

The residents of Santiago de los Caballeros de Guatemala had the intention that a convent of Discalced Carmelites of Our Lady of Mount Carmel be erected in their city, since they knew of the religiosity of its founder, Mother Teresa de Jesús, from Ávila, Spain. On April 25, 1668, the Mayor of the City Council of said city decided to support the enthusiastic request presented for the foundation of the Convent of San José de Carmelitas Descalzas. It was not until June 25, 1675 when the Royal Decree was issued authorizing that foundation, but with the indication that it should be erected under the dedication of Saint Teresa of Jesus. It was the third monastery of nuns approved in Santiago de los Caballeros.

In 1683, the formal construction of the temple of the monumental complex of Santa Teresa de Jesús began, being concluded on April 12, 1687; for which the activities of the aforementioned Convent began.

As a consequence of the San Casimiro earthquake, which occurred on September 29, 1717, which considerably destroyed the architecture of the city itself, the building of the monumental complex to which we refer suffered damage mainly in the area of the Convent, for which the repair activities during the years from 1737 to 1751.

Just finished those reconstruction actions, a new earthquake, occurred on March 4, 1751 and called San Miguel, caused severe damage to both the Convent and the Temple, making necessary new restoration tasks.

During the Santa Marta earthquake, which occurred on September 29, 1773, the monumental complex of Santa Teresa de Jesús suffered serious damage that caused the destruction of the vaults or domes of the temple and deterioration of the Convent, leaving both completely in ruins.

The ruins of the monumental complex of the Convent and Temple of Santa Teresa de Jesús, which we currently see in the colonial city of La Antigua Guatemala, allow us to point out that it was a first-rate building with great cultural and artistic value.

Main facade.

Entrances to the convent and church.
The entrance to the convent is on the left and the main façade, with the entrance to the church, is on the right.

Entrance to the convent.
The Discalced Carmelites, known officially as the Order of the Discalced Brothers of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel or the Order of Discalced Carmelites (abbrev.: OCD), is a Catholic mendicant order with roots in the eremitic tradition of the Desert Fathers and Mothers.

The order was established in the 16th century, pursuant to the reform of the Carmelite Order by two Spanish saints, Teresa of Ávila (foundress) and John of the Cross (co-founder).
Discalced is derived from Latin, meaning "without shoes".
See more at Discalced Carmelites - Wikipedia.