St. John of the Cross was a Carmelite monk and mystic who reformed Spanish monasticism in the 16th century. In 1568, with St. Teresa of Ávila, he founded the order of the Discalced Carmelites, a branch of the Carmelites that emphasized austerity and contemplative life. He opened the first Discalced Carmelite monastery in Duruelo, Spain, in 1569.