SAINT JOHN OF THE CROSS: BIOGRAPHY AND WORKS - LITERATURE - 2025

San Juan de la Cruz (1542-1591) was a Spanish poet and religious, considered the greatest exponent of so-called mystical poetry and one of the main representatives of poetry in the Spanish language. He had a precarious life full of deficiencies that marked him in his style and poetic theme.

He studied basic studies that allowed him to learn to read and write, and thus continue developing humanistic studies. In principle he was accepted as a student in conditions of poverty. San Juan's childhood was marked by almost extreme need.

Saint John of the Cross. Source: By Rafael Pi Belda, from Wikimedia Commons

He was canonized and is currently the patron saint of poets, contemplatives, and mystics. His work is brief, but deeply religious and contemplative.

Biography

San Juan de la Cruz, was born with the secular name of Juan de Yépez Álvarez, in 1542, in Fontiveros, Ávila region, Spain. His parents, Gonzalo de Yépez and Catalina Álvarez, Jewish converts to Christianity, were humble weavers. Juan was the last of three brothers: Francisco and Luis.

Difficult childhood

During the 1940s, Castilla was devastated by an agrarian crisis and a very strong famine. At just 4 years old, Juan was left orphaned and the second of his brothers, Luis, also died. It was considered probable that the poor diet they had was the cause of the death of both. The mother then resorted to requesting help from relatives in Toledo.

The poor diet and conditions of genuine misery in which the remaining members of the family lived had a marked influence on the physical development of the child (it is said that he was very thin and short). His diet affected him so much that Saint Teresa of Jesus, whom he met much later, called him "my half friar."

The relatives of Catalina Álvarez refused to offer her any help, this, and an increasing poverty, motivated the woman to move to Oviedo in 1457 and, later, to Medina del Campo, in 1551. Juan had, at that time, with such only 9 years.

Changes of fortune and "poverty of solemnity"

After arriving in Medina del Campo, Francisco, Juan's older brother, married Ana Izquierdo. This union made it possible for the family to finally settle there.

Juan de Yépez was raised as solemnly poor at the Colegio de Niños de la Doctrina. As a "payment" for this formation, Saint John had to render services as an auxiliary in the convent, the mass and the offices, as well as in the funerals, in addition to asking for alms.

The training that Juan Yépez received at the Colegio de Niños de la Doctrina, although scarce, was enough to encourage him to continue his studies, at the age of 17, at the recently created Colegio de los Jesuitas.

Studies

In this new school he received the fundamental humanist education for his later work. He studied Latin written in prose and verse, as well as translating the ancients, such as Virgil, Cicero, Julius Caesar, Martial, and Ovid. All this, coupled with the innovations in pedagogy that were being implemented in Spain, kept him immersed in Christian humanism for 4 years.

Apart from his studies, he also served as an assistant at the Hospital de Nuestra Señora de la Concepción in Medina del Campo, popularly known as the "Hospital de las Bubas", specialized in the treatment of venereal diseases.

Church of San Juan de la Cruz. Source: By Zarateman, from Wikimedia Commons

In 1563, at age 21, he entered the Carmelite convent of Medina, under the name of Fray Juan de San Matías. The vocation of the young Fray Juan was totally devoted to contemplation and the life of a hermit. That same year and the following, Fray Juan completed his novitiate at the Convent of Santa Ana.

After becoming a friar, Juan decided to go to the Colegio de San Andrés de los Cármenes, in Salamanca, to study mandatory courses in the arts, which took him 3 years (1564-1567). Being so prominent in the dialectic, he was appointed prefect of the college.

Saint Teresa of Jesus in the life of Saint John

In 1567, Juan de San Matías returned to Medina del Campo to ordain himself as a priest and officiate his first mass, in the presence of his family and friends. At that time Juan felt dissatisfied with the way he led the contemplative life and his life as a hermit.

However, that mass that he offered in Medina del Campo was transcendental for his life, it was there that he met Teresa de Cepeda y Ahumada. Teresa, who would later become Saint Teresa of Jesus, was at that time carrying out a reform in the order of the Carmelites and precisely settled in Medina del Campo to found a new headquarters for the Discalced Carmelites.

It was not difficult for Juan de San Matías to join the Carmelite reform, nor was it difficult for Teresa to convince him, since he was already dissatisfied with his contemplative experience and was spiritually searching for something new.

Unfortunately his union with the Carmelite reform cause was not entirely well received in that environment.

In this way, Juan returned to Salamanca to study theology during the years 1567 to 1568. However, he never finished these studies and did not obtain any degree.

San Juan, then, decided to leave with Teresa and accompanied her in the foundation of a convent of sisters in Valladolid. At the end of 1568 he himself founded the first men's convent of the Carmels Descalzos order.

San Juan de la Cruz, new activities

It was in the Avila convent, which he founded in 1568, where the name was changed to San Juan de la Cruz. There he also stayed for 2 years. Then, in 1570, he moved with the foundation to Mancera, where he became subprior and master of novices.

In the early lands he deepened his philosophical and mystical readings, which allowed him to mature his thought and his poetics.

He then left for Pastrana, for a short time, to continue as novice master, and then he went to Alcalá de Henares to be rector of the recently inaugurated school-convent of Discalced Carmelites of San Cirilo. In 1572 he went to Ávila, at the invitation of Teresa, to the Convent of the Incarnation, to be the vicar and confessor of the nuns.

By that time, the reforms of the orders in Spain were in full negotiation with the Vatican. On the one hand, the reforms were delegated to the lower ranks of the Spanish crown, and on the other, the decisions were made in the Holy See. This brought a conflict of interest that ended up affecting the Teresian order of the Discalced Carmelites.

This conflict was noticed by Juan de la Cruz during his stay in Salamanca and most likely in Medina as well. Thus, the order of the shod Carmelites, less orthodox and supported by the Pope, faced the barefoot Carmelites, more faithful to the original tradition, and supported by the crown.

Imprisonment and creation

In this context of power struggle that arose between the reform promoted by the crown and that promoted by the Vatican, the future saint was arrested twice.

The first time he was arrested briefly, in 1575, by the Order of the Calced Carmelites. However, he was promptly released by the intervention of nuncio Ormaneto.

The second time he was arrested, it was again by the same order, who put him on trial and demanded that he repent of having adopted the postulates of the Teresian reform. He was declared rebellious and stubborn, after refusing to repent, and he was sentenced to eight months in prison in a dark and minimal cell, and in almost total abandonment.

During this terrible prison he wrote (or memorized, since he did not have access to writing paper) the immense poem of love and sensualism: Spiritual Canticle. This had 31 stanzas; This poem was also called "protocanth". Besides this work, he composed several romances and his poem La fonte.

However, despite their strength, none of these works equaled the expressive power of what was considered his main work, The Dark Night.

This lofty poetic piece was created under the sign of prison, total abandonment, the ignorance of whether his relatives care about him or have forgotten him, political and psychological pressure, in addition to the fear of possible death due to his physical condition., sensation that was more and more clear.

Escape and escape plan

It was thus, under the fear of an abrupt death, that he ended up devising an escape, helped by a jailer who took pity on his situation.

The escape occurred between the night of May 16 and 18, 1578. After escaping, he arrived at the convent of the Discalced Carmelite Mothers, in Toledo. However, the sisters of the order, concerned about his deteriorating condition, sent him to the Hospital de Santa Cruz, where he spent almost two months.

Health and new appointments

After escaping from the hospital, San Juan went to Andalusia, where he completely finished his recovery. After this came years in which de la Cruz had new positions under his belt.

He went, after being fully recovered, to the Calvario Convent in Jaén, crossing Almodóvar del Campo, where the mystics were born: San Juan de Ávila and San Juan Bautista de la Concepción.

In Jaén he was vicar of the convent. He befriended Ana de Jesús in the foundation of Beas, whom he had already met in 1570 in Mancera. There he composed his first short writings.

In 1579 he founded a college for Carmelites in Baeza, of which he held the position of rector. In 1581, the mark that established the reform was recognized and he was appointed, in Alcalá de Henares, as the third councilor of the order. Later the priory of the Martyrs of Granada, in Baeza, was entrusted to him.

Other trips

In 1582 he traveled to Granada and met Doña Ana de Mercado y Peñalosa, who helped the order of the Discalced Carmelites in other times. To her he dedicated the Living Flame of Love.

In March of this year he took charge of the priory of the Martyrs, until the year 1588. This period was the longest as in charge of any position within the order. He was also confirmed vicar of Andalusia and superior of Granada.

He made numerous trips to Andalusia and Portugal, for reasons of the position. The estimated route of such trips was 27,000 kilometers.

In those years he completed his canticle Declarations of the songs that deal with the exercise of love between the Soul and the Bridegroom Christo, as well as various prose treatises.

Last years

In 1589 Juan returned to Castile as president-prior of the Segovian convent and resigned as superior of Granada. During those years the controversy between barefoot and footwear flared up again.

In 1591, Juan was isolated from the consultation, whose resolution was to dismiss him from all his posts and be reinstated as a mere subject in Segovia.

He was offered exile to New Spain (future Mexico) as a missionary. This was done despite the fact that such a mission was not at all compatible with his mood.

Sepulcher of San Juan de la Cruz. Source: By Bocachete, from Wikimedia Commons

In Andalusia he fell ill with a persistent fever that ended up confining him in Úbeda. Between bad attentions, Juan died at dawn on December 14 at the age of 49, in 1591.

Work

The work of San Juan de la Cruz was notably influenced by 3 aspects: the songbooks and popular sayings of Spain, the Italianized cultured poetry and the Bible (the “Song of Songs”, specifically).

Given the secrecy of his poetry, San Juan wrote the prose as commentaries that serve as a guide to his work.

Major poetry

Minor poetry

- Spiritual canticle.

- Flame of love alive.

References

1. Saint John of the Cross. (S. f.). Spain: Wikipedia. Recovered from: es.wikipedia.org
2. Saint John of the Cross. (S. f.). (N / a). Biographies and lives. Recovered from: biografiasyvidas.com
3. Saint John of the Cross. (S. f.). Spain: virtual Cervantes. Recovered from: cervantesvirtual.com
4. Saint John of the Cross. (S. f.). (N / a). Saints and theology of the heart. Recovered: hearts.org
5. Saint John of the Cross. (S. f.). Spain: Monasteries of Castilla y León. Recovered from: monestirs.cat