Teresa of Ávila

Teresa of Ávila, OCD (Teresa Sánchez de Cepeda Dávila y Ahumada; 28 March 1515 4 or 15 October 1582), also called Saint Teresa of Jesus, was a Carmelite nun and prominent Spanish mystic and religious reformer. Active during the Counter-Reformation, Teresa became the central figure of a movement of spiritual and monastic renewal, reforming the Carmelite Orders of both women and men. The movement was later joined by the younger Carmelite friar and mystic John of the Cross, with whom she established the Discalced Carmelites. A formal papal decree adopting the split from the old order was issued in 1580. Her autobiography, The Life of Teresa of Jesus, and her books The Interior Castle, and The Way of Perfection, are prominent works on Christian mysticism and Christian meditation practice. In her autobiography, written as a defense of her ecstatic mystical experiences, she discerns four stages in the ascent of the soul to God: mental prayer and meditation; the prayer of quiet; absorption-in-God; ecstatic consciousness. The Interior Castle, written as a spiritual guide for her Carmelite sisters, uses the illustration of seven mansions within the castle of our soul to describe the different states our soul can be in during our life. Forty years after her death, in 1622, Teresa was canonized by Pope Gregory XV. On 27 September 1970 Pope Paul VI proclaimed Teresa the first female Doctor of the Church in recognition of her centuries-long spiritual legacy to Catholicism. Teresa Sánchez de Cepeda Dávila y Ahumada was born on 28 March 1515. Her birthplace (either Ávila or Gotarrendura) is moot. Her paternal grandfather, Juan Sánchez de Toledo, was a marrano or converso, a Jew forced to convert to Christianity or emigrate. When Teresa's father was a child, Juan was condemned by the Spanish Inquisition for allegedly returning to Judaism, but he was later able to assume a Catholic identity. Her father, Alonso Sánchez de Cepeda, was a successful wool merchant and one of the wealthiest men in Ávila.

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Mysticism

Mysticism is popularly known as becoming one with God or the Absolute, but may refer to any kind of ecstasy or altered state of consciousness which is given a religious or spiritual meaning. It may also refer to the attainment of insight in ultimate or hidden truths, and to human transformation supported by various practices and experiences. The term "mysticism" has Ancient Greek origins with various historically determined meanings.

Christian mysticism

Christian mysticism is the tradition of mystical practices and mystical theology within Christianity which "concerns the preparation [of the person] for, the consciousness of, and the effect of [...] a direct and transformative presence of God" or Divine love. Until the sixth century the practice of what is now called mysticism was referred to by the term contemplatio, c.q. theoria, from contemplatio (Latin; Greek θεωρία, theoria), "looking at", "gazing at", "being aware of" God or the Divine.

Contemplation

In a religious context, the practice of contemplation seeks a direct awareness of the divine which transcends the intellect, often in accordance with prayer or meditation. The word contemplation is derived from the Latin word contemplatio, ultimately from the Latin word templum, a piece of ground consecrated for the taking of auspices, or a building for worship. The latter either derives from the Proto-Indo-European root *tem- ("to cut"), on notion of "place reserved or cut out", or from the root *temp- ("to stretch, string"), thus referring to a cleared (measured) space in front of an altar.

Vallorbe: au fil de l'eau une maison de la nature (VD)

Azalée Truan

L'intervention dans le vallon vallorbier se compose de trois phases : Dans un premier temps, il s'agit de clarifier un parcours pédestre dans le vallon. Le parcours existant est subdivisé en dix lieux ayant chacun d'entre eux une atmosphère propre. L'hypothèse de travail propose une étude détaillée de chacun de ces lieux afin de mettre en place un parcours qui révèle la particularité du vallon, la trilogie eau bois et fer, et de la mettre en scène. Il ne s'agit donc pas d'intervenir sur la globalité du cheminement mais de proposer ici et là quelques interventions. Dans un deuxième temps, il s'agit de mettre en place un échangeur de modalité de transport (train, bus, voiture). Un lieu qui joue le rôle de point de départ des excursions, où les observateurs deviennent randonneurs. La dernière phase, objet du projet présent, est l'implantation d'une maison de la nature (auberge) accueillant les randonneurs et répondant aux principes architecturaux suivants : - lieu d'initiation : L'auberge se situe dans un milieu semi-urbain, au commencement du parcours vallorbier. - lieu d'expression d'ambiances : le bâti se compose d'une charpente métallique modulée accueillant des cellules (chambres). Elles sont travaillées de manières autonomes et possèdent des atmosphères propres. De par leur conceptions (matériaux, éléments), elles se réfèrent au parcours vallorbier. La question fondamentale posée par cet édifice est celle de la représentation de la nature. - lieu de repos, de contemplation et de contrastes : entre le naturel propre et le naturel modifié par l'homme.

2007