ST

JOHN OF THE

See also:

• CROSS

CROSS (1542-1591)  , Spanish mystic, was born at Ontiveros (Old Castile) on the 24th of June 1542 . He became a professed' Carmelite in 1564, and was ordained priest at Salamanca in 1567 . He met with much opposition in his efforts to introduce the reforms proposed by St Theresa, and was more than once imprisoned . His real name was Juan de Yepez y Alvarez; in religion he was known as Juan de San Matias till 1568, when he adopted the name of Juan de la Cruz . Broken by persecution, he was sent to the monastery of Ubeda, where he died in 1591; his Obras espiriluales were published posthumously in 1618 . He was beatified in 1674 and canonized on the 27th of December 1726 . The lofty symbolism of his prose is frequently obscure, but his lyrical verses are distinguished for their rapturous ecstasy and beauty of expression . Some of his poems have been translated with great success by Arthur Symons in Images of Good and Evil; the most convenient edition of his works, which have been frequently reprinted, is that contained in vol. xvi. of the Biblioteca de autores espanoles .