Page:Saint Theresa of Avila (Gilman 1889).djvu/30

16 Augustine Convent, where Don Alfonso sent his daughter, was built in 1508, on the site of an ancient Moslem mosque. It was situated in the centre of Avila, and was a favorite educational establishment for those daughters of noble families who for any reason could not be trained in their own homes. In this place forty nuns divided among themselves the care of the young girls committed to their charge. These good women were known to be strict in their discipline, regular in their instruction, and faithful to all the necessary religious observances. Surely, the gay young Theresa would here be kept from temptation, and would turn her attention towards more serious things.

The faithful tell us that some days before Theresa entered the Augustinian Convent, a starlike light appeared in the midst of the