Saint
John of the Cross, (
1542-
1591), Spanish
mystic, was born at
Ontiveros[?] (Old Castile) on
June 24,
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.
Adapted from 1911 Britannica