This is exactly the kind of thing that makes Gen Z suspicious of organized religion. In a move that feels straight out of a horror movie (but isn’t), the Catholic Church has just dug up and publicly displayed the mummified body of Saint Teresa of Ávila — yes, the mystic nun and 16th-century saint — interrupting her eternal rest so people can stare at her decaying remains. No, it’s not fake — and yes, there are photos. You can’t unsee them.
After more than a century sealed shut, the tomb was reopened at the Basilica of the Annunciation of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Alba de Tormes, Spain. Saint Teresa died in 1582, but now, in 2025, her body is back on display — and the internet is not handling it well.
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The Photos of Saint Teresa’s Corpse Are Straight-Up Nightmare Fuel
The event is organized by the Discalced Carmelites, who have opened her tomb from May 11 to May 25. Visitors can drop in any time between 9 a.m. and 11 p.m. to gawk at the corpse.
Photos circulating online show the saint’s body laid out in her coffin. Her face? Mostly just skull now. One close-up even shows her bare, skeletal foot, sticking out like something from a Gothic fever dream.
So why reopen the crypt of a 16th-century mystic? According to Europa Press, the goal is to offer “a contemplative gaze to appropriate the spiritual gift she offers,” and to spread awareness of “the richness of her writings, the greatness of her testimony as a woman, a saint, and a doctor of the Church.”
But while devout Catholics call it a powerful moment of faith, the rest of the internet is screaming.
“If any other religion did this, Catholics would be the first to call it satanic, primitive, pagan, and demonic.”
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The Comments Are as Brutal as You’d Expect
Online reactions have been less than reverent. Among the top replies:
“This is why I’m embarrassed to say I’m Catholic.”
“Catholicism is a cult. They’re literally worshipping a corpse.”
“They’re out here praising a mummy. This is unbiblical and disgusting. That’s not Christianity.”
Whether you see it as spiritual devotion or religious body horror, one thing’s clear: Saint Teresa didn’t ask for this.
This article was originally written in Spanish by Fernando Eslava in Cultura Colectiva.