An English Carmelite

Catharine Burton (1688–1714) was an English Carmelite nun who in 1697 was inspired to write her autobiography following visions of her patron saint, St. Francis Xavier. During a severe illness in her teenage years which left her near death, Burton underwent a spiritual conversion and resolved to enter a religious order should she survive. After her recovery, Burton entered the English Carmelite convent in Antwerp in 1693. She was elected Superior of the convent in 1700. This volume, first published in 1876, contains her autobiography as arranged by her confessor, Father Thomas Hunter (1666–1725). Burton describes her childhood and spiritual struggles in fascinating detail, and provides a vivid account of her daily life, bodily sufferings and religious practices as a nun. This volume combines elements from medieval accounts of female religious experiences with early modern philosophical ideas, providing valuable information concerning changes in the representation of female spirituality.