Maria Teresa of Jesus (Maria Scriili) followed the path of Carmelite spirituality from her youth and put it into practice in the apostolic life. She dedicated herself to the education of young girls and women, and to charitable works on behalf of the poor. Together with her colleagues, she founded a new religious institute at Montevarchi, in the province of Arezzo in Italy, which today is called the "Istituto di Nostra Signora del Carmelo". The fortunes of this foundation were closely tied to those of the politics of the unification of Italy in the 1860s and '70s and the seed ti-that she sowed only bore fruit after her death. She was declared venerable on 20 December 2003 and the miracle needed for her beatification was recognised by the Holy See on 19 December 2005.