Often overshadowed by nearby Segovia (and Toledo a bit further south), the walled city of Avila is an destination by its own right. Regarded as the finest medieval remnant in Spain, the imposing Wall of Avila enclosed an area of 31 hectares (77 acres) with a perimeter of 2,516 metres (2,752 yd), 88 blocks or semicircular towers, 2,500 merlons, curtain walls 3 m (9 ft 10 in) thick, with an average height of 12 m (39 ft) and 9 gates. An UNESCO World Heritage Site, it is the largest fully illuminated monument in the world. The city also has religious significance for its association with the great mystic and reformer St. Teresa de Jesus, better known as St. Teresa of Ávila. Teresa was a 16th-century Carmelite nun who reformed her order, had many ecstatic visions, and wrote several books. She is the female patron saint of Spain and was the first woman to be named a Doctor of the Church. #Avila #WalledCity #Wall #Teresa
