Yesterday was the feast day of St Teresa of Avila, a saint of whom I am especially fond. To mark the anniversary Lucas Viar has posted on the Liturgical Arts Journal a short article showing how from the early seventeenth century when she was canonised St Teresa was often depicted wearing an academic biretta of the Spanish type in her role as a Doctor of the Church. As he shows this designation was first requested in 1597, only fifteen years after her death, but was not formally accorded to her until 1970, when she became the first woman so designated.
His illustrated article can be seen at Saint Teresa of Avila's Biretta: A Brief Introduction to the Iconography of St. Teresa of Avila as Doctrix Ecclesia
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