Monastery of St. Teresa, Coimbra

A block north of the Penedo da Saudade observation deck is the Convent of the Carmelite Order, built in the eighteenth-century Baroque style. The monastery is named after the Spanish nun Teresa (Carmelo De Santa Teresa).

Teresa was born in Avila on March 28, 1515, to a noble family descended from baptized Jews. Since childhood, she was distinguished by a thirst for knowledge, and at the same time was deeply religious. Despite her romantic nature and literary talent, at the age of twenty, against her father's wishes, she became a novice at the Carmelite monastery in Avila, where she received the name Teresa de Jesus.

Over time, Teresa acquired the authority of a pious and wise nun, and not only the inhabitants of the monastery, but also notable secular persons, including her father, turned to her for advice. Teresa of Avila was best known as a reformer - according to the charter written to her and approved by Pope Pius IV, Teresa organized a large number of small communities, where, in her opinion, novices lead a more God-pleasing lifestyle than in large monasteries.

Teresa's literary talents did not die either - while making pilgrimage trips, she recorded her impressions and reflections,which gives reason to consider her the first Spanish woman writer.

The monastery also has a monument to another famous nun, Sister Lucia (Irmã Lúcia), who was the eldest of three children who witnessed a series of apparitions of the Virgin in Fatima in 1917. In 1948, after the Pope removed her eternal vows, she retired to the monastery of Santa Teresa, where she lived until the age of 97, leaving this world in 2005.

Thanks to the legendary novice, the monastery has become a popular pilgrimage destination. Pilgrims can stay here for the night.

Then you can take a walk along Avenida Dom Afonso Henriques and after a block you will see a beautiful mansion.

If you turn right in front of the mansion on Rua Teixeira de Carvalho, you will see the modern building of the Seventh-Day Adventist Church (Igreja Adventista do Sétimo Dia).