Carmelites and his formation at the University of Salamanca
He entered the Carmelites and after having completed the required time prescribed for the novitiate he made his profession in 1564 and was sent to the University of Salamanca, where John of Santo Matias is enrolled for three years in the Faculty of Arts. The students transfer to the House of Studies (Collegio Mayor). The convent or house of studies was built adjacent to the old hermitage of San Andres built in 1306. The house of studies received its name from its association to the old hermitage upon the purchase of the surrounding fields in 1547.
The fact that Salamanca was among the principal centres of culture contributed to the establishment and founding of the house of studies and be preferred among all the houses in the province. Even before the foundation of the house of studies, precedence was established by the various Carmelites who had gain special permission to attend the University (such as Antonio Triguero in 1428, Alvaro Martinez who received from the Pope to preach to the infidels in Vizcaya, Austurias, Galicia, Andalucia). Such a precedence emphasized the academic seriousness undertaken by the Carmelites. (for the first time studies at the University of Salamanca appear in the decisions in the General Chapter in 1482).
Dicipline and Observance in the Monastery of San Andres.
The religious observance was outlined as foreseen in the constitutions by Blessed John Soreth and enacted by the Prior General Audet. Despite some turbulent years between the years of reform enacted by the same prior General between the years 1530 and 1560 which had to do mainly with a rebel faction led by a prior who had been consecrated Bishop while not relinquishing his position as prior. Bishop Hernando del Barco was eventually defeated along with his student followers by the incoming prior Alonzo Gonzalez and Alonzo Muñoz the provincial delegate designated to oust the obstinate bishop. By 1564 the Carmelites generalate in Rome had confided the house of studies in San Andres opened for all provinces requiring that the house follow the strictest observance and religious discipline. Once the students were accepted to the House of Studies which was considered to be a college, they were allowed to go to attend the University two by two with the white mantle and walk with religious demeanour. For those who were disobedient, some common rules of punishment were established and enforced: eight days of jail for the first transgression - for the second transgression three days of taking the discipline and one day on bread and water. If there was a third transgression he was expelled from the House of Studies and obligated to return to his province. In accordance with the reforms of Pius V for the religious houses of formation the result of a visitation made in 1568 had indicated that the Carmelite House of Studies was among the most observant and «had very students honourable and very religious - it was difficult to find any fault in the monastery».
Students of the monastery on August 16, 1560 counted 12 plus the Prior (Francisco de Ledesma) and the subprior (Martín de Santillana). The monastery had a good financial foundation which lasted until 1575 when some literature recounted of its «great poverty». John of San Matías which had just made his profession in the monastery of Santa Ana in Medina del Campo had arrived to the House of Studies of San Andres to begin his study in the famous University. It is likely that he had arrived just before the month of October which was the beginning of the semester. John of San Matías became part of a class numbering 15 Carmelite students for the academic year of 1565-1566. We know that John of San Matías had enrolled for four years: three in the faculty of the Arts and one year of Theology between the years of 1565 to 1568. Among some of his classmates: Juan de Heredia – who as a gifted orator known for his common sense and good judgement he was eventually appointed prior of the monastery of Valencia and rector of the college of Zaragoza and provincial of the Carmelites of Aragón and Valencia. Bartolomé Sánchez obtained a license and became a teacher of Arts and Theology at the University of Salamanca from 1584 until 1604. He became prior of the monastery of San Andres and provincial of the Carmelites of Castille. He was involved in the process of beatification of St. Teresa. Other classmates which became important for the province and Order would later participate in the his process of beatification and canonization as well (Hernando de Medina, Sebastían de Oliva, Rodrigo Nieto).
At the University of Salamanca
The faculty of Arts was composed of Logic, Natural and Moral Philosophy. John of San Matías in his dialectic classes studied the standard collection of Aristotle six works on logic the Organon. In natural and moral philosophy he also followed Aristotle in his book of physics, ethics, politics and economy. The class schedule was intense and rigid lectures were held from 7.30 to 9.00 at 10.00 chorus lessons which were a series of inquiry, and questioning by the professors, resolving doubts or questions posed by the students. In the afternoon the lectures continued and ended with the question and answer sessions between 4 and 5 pm.
The faculty of Theology had three chairs or cathedra> Prime, Vespertine (courses of theology given in the morning and afternoon by different department heads) and Biblical. Other auxiliary courses included such as the works of Saint Thomas Aquinas.
At the House of Studies of San Andres
By the latter end of the XVI century courses were given at San Andres. For example Fr. Pedro Cornejo who was also a professor at Salamanca lectured theology for the Carmelite students. Biographers such as Crisogono de Jesus Sacramentado believes that John of San Matías in addition to his courses in Salamanca he received other lectures in the monastery. Other historians such as Pedro Chacón affirms the typical system of teaching in the monasteries by the convergence of some common doctrinal points of John of the Cross with other scholastic Carmelites like Baconthorp reminiscences of the courses held in San Andres. Although these courses were not part of a General Study Curriculum, since there was no formal professorship in-house they were rather made to compliment and help the students.
During his time in the House of Studies John of San Matías, testimonies say had a narrow and darken room. A small will faced the chapel and the tabernacle and he spent hours of prayer during the night. His confrères admired him. If a few students were talking in spaces of the monastery prohibited and saw that he was approaching they would say: «Quiet, here comes fra John” Another witness from the House of Studies in a letter to St. Teresa testified the following: «There is no friar that does not say but good about him – for he has lived a life of penance».
Ordination:
between the years 1566-1567 John of San Matías returned to the monastery in Medina del Campo and was ordained in the summer of 1567 celebrating his first mass. It was very special event for his mother Catalina Alvarez for all the Yepes family and for his confrères of San Ana. It was at this very same time that he had met St. Teresa in Medina del Campo and became a major change for his life. We know that he wanted to become a Carthursian monk but on the insistence of St. Teresa had opted instead to remain a Carmelite and enter with her the plan of reform.
between the years 1566-1567 John of San Matías returned to the monastery in Medina del Campo and was ordained in the summer of 1567 celebrating his first mass. It was very special event for his mother Catalina Alvarez for all the Yepes family and for his confrères of San Ana. It was at this very same time that he had met St. Teresa in Medina del Campo and became a major change for his life. We know that he wanted to become a Carthursian monk but on the insistence of St. Teresa had opted instead to remain a Carmelite and enter with her the plan of reform.
Returned to Salamanca:
He enrolled in Salamanca to complete his last year of Theology as he again returned to Medina del Campo. There is no evidence that he returned to Salamanca ever again, yet there is no doubt that at the root of his immortal literary work is found in his rigorous formation in the years at the University of Salamanca.
He enrolled in Salamanca to complete his last year of Theology as he again returned to Medina del Campo. There is no evidence that he returned to Salamanca ever again, yet there is no doubt that at the root of his immortal literary work is found in his rigorous formation in the years at the University of Salamanca.
No doubt that his studies in Salamanca were accompanied by a profound personal crisis which had brought him to decide on the Carthusians. He was not alone. The migration from one Order to another were at that time so frequent that law and regulation had been established. However, with one particularity. The transfer to the Carthusians was opened for the mendicant Orders, which meant that there was no need for an ecclesiastical license from the Holy See but only the permission of the religious superiors. Interesting to note that the prior of Medina del Campo in 1567, when John had said his first mass, was in the process to make the transfer as well. The Carthusians had become the symbol of the rigorous observance.
