Saint Teresa of Avila Interceding for Souls in Purgatory

Saint Teresa of Avila Interceding for Souls in Purgatory, created by Peter Paul Rubens sometime between 1597 and 1640, is a compelling oil on wood painting exemplifying Baroque devotional art. This piece, now housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, illustrates the profound theological themes central to the Counter-Reformation, specifically the power of prayer and the necessity of saintly intercession for the departed.

Rubens masterfully organizes the painting into distinct levels. At the bottom, the dark, fiery abyss of Purgatory holds the suffering souls, depicted as struggling men and women desperately reaching upwards for salvation. The composition focuses on Saint Teresa of Ávila, the Spanish mystic and Carmelite reformer, who kneels in fervent prayer on a cloud, acting as the crucial intermediary between the earthly and divine realms.

Above Saint Teresa, the celestial plane opens, characterized by radiant light and the presence of angels who herald the intervention of Christ. The dynamic energy and dramatic use of light, or tenebrism, employed by Rubens, transforms what might be a static theological concept into an emotionally intense visual narrative. The scale of this work suggests it may have functioned as a modello or sketch for a much larger altarpiece commission.

This powerful visual articulation of faith reinforces Catholic doctrine regarding the afterlife and the power of the Church. The Metropolitan Museum holds Saint Teresa of Avila Interceding for Souls in Purgatory as a core example of Rubens’s mature style, demonstrating why this artist remains the preeminent figure of 17th-century Flemish painting. Today, access to this Baroque masterwork is widespread, with high-quality prints frequently made available through public domain collections.