Teresa of Ávila, originally a noblewoman from Spain, was drawn to the Catholic Church's convent life. She was a Carmelite nun, a well-known Spanish visionary, a religious reformist, a writer, a secluded life philosopher, and a mental prayer theologian. She was designated a Doctor of the Church 400 years after her death. She reorganized both female and male Carmelite Orders during the Catholic Reformation. Later, John of the Cross, a younger Carmelite monk from Spain, as well as a mystic, joined the group she established. It finally led to the formation of the Discalced Carmelites. In 1580, a formal papal decree approving the deviation from the previous edict was issued.