Teresa of Ávila became a nun simply because she was terrified of damnation. The Visions . . . and a Break from Worldliness In 1535 Teresa entered the La Encarnacion convent in Ávila, where she remained for twenty-six years. It’s no coincidence that the order she chose was significantly less demanding than the Augustinian order. In fact, Renaissance scholar Theodore Rabb notes, “This may indicate how gradually she moved from worldliness to the austerity for which she would eventually be known.”4 At