I was asked to communicate something about Blessed Anne’s originality as concerns what history disregarded, or about landmarks, challenges, and possibilities that are now available to us precisely with regards to the recognition of Anne’s personality.
Nowadays, following the discovery of new manuscripts and the publication of her original writings, some aspects of the history of the Order of Discalced Carmelites have changed. Much more attention has been given to the relationship that Anne of St Bartholomew (Ana de San Bartolomé) had with Teresa of Ávila as companion and nurse, assistant and counsellor. United to her spiritually and, humanly speaking, a living reflection of the Teresian spirit in thought and action, she appears as an authentic representative of the tradition of the most genuine Teresian doctrine: in her way of governing and living with the Discalced Carmelite nuns, in her charismatic place within the Church, in her zeal for souls and for the Church, and in all that belonged to the Teresian spirit. She is no less an important figure among the mystics of the sixteenth century, or as a zealous propagator of the new Teresian lifestyle in the Catholic restoration in France and Flanders at the beginnings of the seventeenth century.
Certainly, Anne can guide the historical narrative of some important moments in the Order, especially in Spain. For some time, many testimonies by Anne, and especially her writings, were unknown in her own country; and when some texts began to be known, they were either wrongly interpreted, totally misunderstood, or rejected.
The knowledge of her writings in Spain
What history has neglected (particularly in the Spanish historiography) has been both important and foundational. This is simply because the writings of Anne of St Bartholomew were unknown, and consequently, there was a lack of knowledge of the Teresian Carmelite reality in Flanders.
A considerable portion of Anne’s writings were known immediately after her death: in the seventeenth century, they were published in Dutch, French and German (a voluminous work), and some of it in Italian. In the following century, they were published again in French and Italian. In the nineteenth century, three times in French and once in German.
It is striking to realise that in three centuries her writings were never once published in their original language, Spanish — a truly astonishing omission!
In 1591 the Discalced Carmelite nuns in Spain experienced a serious internal conflict, especially in Madrid, over the interpretation of the Constitutions that governed their way of life. The dispute centred on differing understandings of Teresa’s intentions, especially between Anne of Jesus and Nicolás Doria, then the leading superior of the Order. The circumstances of these quarrels, and the polarisation they produced, are well known from the various accounts that have come down to us. On this subject, the Spanish historians (principally Spanish Discalced Carmelite historians) of the second half of the twentieth century took a fairly radical or unilateral position. What was the problem? Simply that they did not know one of the key documents that could decide the interpretation of those events, namely the firmness with which Anne of Jesus defended the Constitutions she believed to be Teresian. This was also essential for understanding the writings of Anne of St Bartholomew, who had witnessed these events. And this important key was something that had happened in Flanders, which was a repetition of what had been experienced earlier in Spain, specifically the disagreements about the Constitutions and the style of governance after the death of St Teresa. It was characteristic of those historians to ignore or to reject some of the input by the Prioress of Antwerp.
Thus, when a letter was found in the archives of Medina de Rioseco, written by Anne of St Bartholomew about an opinion of Teresa herself on the subject of the freedom of choosing confessors, the reaction of the historians remained as it was before: they rejected that letter as being false since the matter had already been resolved differently in the official sources of the Order. But these historians were committing a grave error if they thought that by negating the document’s authenticity they were resolving the matter in their favour, since they did not know that she had stated in several different manuscripts the very same idea as their Mother, St Teresa. Furthermore, what is certain is that this letter, which they counted as false, was in fact confirmed to be a genuine autograph of Anne’s and that it was to be found in Medina de Rioseco; it was published in the critical edition of her writings in 1985.
These were statements that were made by Teresa to Anne who had revealed them openly, but the historians did not want to admit them as being really said by Teresa. They were also unaware that when Teresa confided this to Anne, she had already written down her opinion, which had initiated a change on the very subject of the freedom of choosing confessors, and she had done this in the letter written to Fr Gracián on 17 September 1581.
Something of this kind of censoring happened in some accounts relating to France concerning Pierre de Bérulle[1]. The Antwerp Autobiography published in French always seemed to have been manipulated somehow, with some facts or paragraphs being removed. (It was only in 1989 that it was published in its entirety). For they were not interested in some of what Anne had declared, and furthermore some of them opined that the texts were late and therefore somewhat inexact. What is certain is that those texts were discovered in various notebooks, and that they had been written at the very time (1607) when Anne was suffering a great deal from Pierre de Bérulle’s attitude and the lack of a confessor. Given these findings, they ought to have kept silent.
Dramatic historical aspect and the desired coexistence
Anne of St Bartholomew opens for us a true perspective on the Teresian charism. She offers us the right understanding of the important and dramatic problems of our history; and in particular, of the problems of the Constitutions (1591).
This tension over the Constitutions continued into the early seventeenth century and eventually contributed to a rupture within the houses of the Order in Flanders (1622–23), when the communities were divided over which form of the Constitutions should be observed. Before that rupture, around 1612–14, there had already been strong quarrels about the Constitutions that determined how the Discalced Carmelite nuns were to live: Anne of Jesus, once again, on one side and the superiors of the Order in Rome on the other. It was a repetition of the drama that had been experienced in Madrid in 1591. In conscience, Anne of Jesus could only live with one set of Constitutions, and rejected the others, which were being observed by the Order under the Roman superiors. Furthermore, she imposed in Flanders the Constitutions she favoured until 1613, obliging the other nuns, who disagreed, to comply. These Constitutions were imposed through political power, via the ambassador of Flanders to Rome, certainly with the reluctant consent of the superiors of the Order.
The charismatic life of Anne of St Bartholomew, in spite of the suffering that can be imagined for her because of this constant fight on the subject of the Constitutions, was oriented in another direction: she felt the necessity of caring for and salvaging unity, the gift of unity in the Order, a basic gift so desired by Teresa, which had been transmitted as an inheritance.
For Anne of St Bartholomew, a specific point or another (sometimes very debatable) of the Constitutions did not have the same importance as the basic gift of unity, the unconditional love for the Order, a love that overcomes the differences and defects of this or that one. She lived her interior life, her charismatic life, with total normality and peace under these Constitutions imposed by Anne of Jesus: the prioress of Antwerp had no problem living the Teresian charism with those Constitutions. And she lived that way for eight years.
Later, in 1621, after the death of Anne of Jesus (4 March) and that of the sovereign Alberto (13 July), the juridical situation of the Order in Flanders changed, since the Order (in Rome) imposed in Flanders the same Constitutions that were observed in the rest of the Order outside Spain and the territories under its control. Anne of St Bartholomew lived in peace and holiness under those Constitutions also. This means that the Teresian spirit could be lived perfectly well under both Constitutions, so long as attention was paid to keeping the spirit of union among all concerned.
As can be seen, Anne of St Bartholomew was interested above all in the love binding its members to the Order, that is, in keeping the gift of unity so desired by Teresa, in a union experienced within each community as much as within the Order with the superiors.
Landmarks, challenges and future possibilities
The life and writings of Anne of St Bartholomew present us with some historical, spiritual and doctrinal aspects that, at the present moment, are perceived as landmarks, challenges and possibilities for the future within the history of the Order. At this point, I can only note down some of those important aspects: her vocation pursued in the company of the holy Mother Teresa; evolution and developments of the Teresian charism itself; the place of Anne of St Bartholomew within the Order; her spiritual testament, etc.
An Intensely lived vocation
Anne’s ideal consisted in living with Christ and serving others. In her daily life, we note a profound experience of Christ and an unfailing activity in the service of charity. Thus, her interior mystical life remained covered by her intense exterior activity.
Since her childhood she had been attracted to living with Christ. In her youth, she desired Christ’s company. And it was with this intention that at the age of 21, on 2 November 1570, she entered San José in Ávila, which had been founded by Mother Teresa of Jesus eight years before, and there she began to live her vocation: living with and for Christ, living his friendship with great depth: that is, in the living presence of Christ. God made man was to be the centre of her entire life.
Defence and evolution of the Teresian Charism
Faced with the development of the historiography of the Order in the twentieth century, it is enriching to look at Anne of St Bartholomew and observe her style of governance, that style of living together that was emphasised by the holy Mother Teresa; Anne lived and taught this Teresian style. She governed the community in this pedagogical Teresian style; she did this with mildness as can be seen in this remark: “Lord, if you must punish me, let it be for having had too much mildness rather than rigour.” She guided each person according to their capacity; she demanded openness and simplicity so that they could live as a family, with Christ among them. On this point of frankness and simplicity, there was also tied the aspect of obedience, as a sign of submission to God. Anne was humble, loving and affable, sweet when governing, but nevertheless she did not lack the Teresian frankness; above all when it concerned God’s clear will, or the will and inheritance of the holy Foundress and the orders from superiors.
A new understanding of the historical narrative about some important events.
Verifying some historical facts enables us to discover possibilities that improve our perspectives on the history of the Order… Anne’s contribution to the narrative of some dramatic historical moments should be today an important supplement to enable us to understand the historical reality of the Order.
Perspectives for the spiritual life and the Teresian charism
Anne’s life and doctrine open for us new perspectives and milestones with respect to the personal and community life lived within the Teresian charism.
In this life of intimacy with God, Anne of St Bartholomew feeds herself on the very desires and preoccupations of Christ: the salvation of people. And Christ united himself to her in such a way that she consumed herself in desires for the honour of God and the increase of the Church.
This perspective that Anne offers us makes us emphasise the ecclesial aspect of her life and doctrine: Christ died on the cross for the salvation of souls; it was precisely on the cross where Christ gave his kiss to the Church, his spouse; it was on the marriage bed of the cross where he united himself with the Church, celebrating for souls his nuptials of blood. This is a very important doctrine in the mystical and ecclesial spirituality of the Teresian Carmel.
As we can see, Christ was at the centre of her life. The Christocentrism of Anne’s spirituality, lived so intensely, had a great influence on those around her, especially in France.
Conclusion
On a concluding note, a better understanding of the life and writings of Anne of St Bartholomew leads us to consider her as a pillar of the Teresian spirit and charism; and therefore, she has a pre‑eminent place in the history and historiography of the Teresian Carmel.
[1] Pierre de Bérulle (1575–1629) was a French ecclesiastic who exercised influence over the early Carmelite foundations in France; his interventions in 1607 directly affected Anne of St Bartholomew and contributed to the difficulties she recounts in the writings preserved from that period.
