Imagine you are General Franco... all the dirty business of the civil war is behind you... only the dirty business of staying in power awaits. You are feeling pretty good... haven't had to organise any massacres for a couple of weeks... the royals have fled overseas... the church has turned a blind eye to your excesses... Spain is heading in the direction of your choosing.
So, when you (as Franco) go to bed at night, what homely nick-nack would you want on the table beside your bed... a photo of the wife and kiddies... perhaps the trophy you won last year for the most improved handicap from the golf club... perhaps your smart phone so that you can check emails in the middle of the night??? Not if you were General Franco. He kept beside his bed a special relic of Saint Teresa... a ring she wore to signify her marriage to the church... and the sawn-off finger that bore the ring. Knowing that's beside you would help get you a good night's sleep.
So who is Saint Teresa? Everyone in this town knows the answer to that question. She was born in Ávila... when aged 7, she tried to run away from home to become a martyr amongst the Moors... later, joined the convent... spent 20 unremarkable years in the Carmelite order... and then saw an apparition of Christ that changed her life. This apparition told her that the life of luxury enjoyed by all clergy in the prosperous 16th century may not accurately replicate the life of Jesus... she made a nuisance of herself to such an extent that in 1567, she was given permission to establish new houses of Carmelites that followed her standards of piety and self-sacrifice... she made long journeys through nearly all the provinces of Spain... and became something of a celebrity.
She was not the most liked person amongst the clergy. These funny ideas of self-sacrifice continued. She wanted clerics to have pillows made of wood... do away with sandals and walk bare-footed... take up the felt dress and never be seen in robes with Gold trim... purple capes... a golden staff. In fact, young Teresa wanted to take all the fun out of being a priest!
When she started converting some of the monks to her way of thinking, the heirachy started to take action. Some of the monks were imprisoned... legal action was taken to close some of the houses. Teresa lost her celebrity status... no doubt replaced by some other religious fashion.
However 60 years after her death, she was canonised and become famous... at least in Ávila.
With this background, you can understand why General Franco wanted her shrivelled finger bearing a ring decorating his bed-side table.
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