Santa Teresa de Jesús or simply Santa Teresa de Ávila (1515 - 1582) was a nun, founder of the Order of Discalced Carmelites - the Order of Our Lady of Mount Carmel - mystical and Spanish writer. Canonized in 1614. She was proclaimed doctor of the Catholic Church in 1970 during the pontificate of Paul VI.

Together with Saint John of the Cross, it is considered the summit of Christian experimental mysticism and one of the great teachers of the spiritual life of the Church.