Person

John of the Cross

1542–1591 · 16th century

John of the Cross was a Spanish Carmelite friar, priest and mystic who worked with Teresa of Ávila to reform the Carmelite order. Imprisoned by opponents of the reform in Toledo in 1577–1578, he composed there part of his Spiritual Canticle. His poems and commentaries, including The Dark Night of the Soul, are among the summits of Spanish literature and Christian mysticism. He was canonised in 1726.

John of the Cross
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Habsburg SpainImpact

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Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). John of the Cross. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/john-of-the-cross
MLA
“John of the Cross.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/john-of-the-cross. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “John of the Cross.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/john-of-the-cross.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘John of the Cross’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/john-of-the-cross (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻