At the time I left Granada for the foundation in Córdoba, I wrote to you in haste. And afterward, while in Córdoba, I received your letters and those of the gentlemen who were going to Madrid and who must have thought they would meet me while I was at the meeting of definitors.
But you know this meeting never took place because we were waiting for the completion of these foundations and visitations. The Lord gives us so much to do these days that we can hardly keep up with it all.
The foundation for the friars in Córdoba was completed with greater applause and solemnity throughout the entire city than was ever given there to any other religious order. All the clergy and confraternities of Córdoba gathered, and the Most Blessed Sacrament was brought with great solemnity from the Cathedral.
All the streets were beautifully decorated, and the people acted as though it were the feast of Corpus Christi.
This took place on the Sunday after Ascension Thursday. The Bishop came and preached, praising us highly.
The house is situated in the best district of the city, in the neighborhood of the Cathedral.
Saint John of the Cross
Letter 5 to Madre Ana de San Alberto, prioress of Caravaca (excerpt)
Sevilla, June 1586
John of the Cross, St. 1991, The Collected Works of St. John of the Cross, Revised Edition, translated from the Spanish by Kavanaugh, K and Rodriguez, O with revisions and introductions by Kavanaugh, K, ICS Publications, Washington DC.
Featured image: This scenic street is found in the picturesque Jewish quarter of old Cordoba, Spain with the bell tower of the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption (also called the Mosque-Cathedral) in the background. Image credit: Stefano Valeri / Adobe Stock
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