Saint Ignatius of Loyola

The life of saint Ignatius of Loyola

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Inigo Lopez de Loyola, who later took the name Ignatius, was the youngest son of a nobleman of the mountainous Basque region of northern Spain. Trained in the courtly manner of the time of King Ferdinand, he dreamed of the glories of knighthood and wore his sword and breastplate with a proud arrogance.

When Ignatius was born in 1491, the Middle Ages were just ending and Europe was entering into the Renaissance. So Ignatius was a man on the edge of two worlds.

Europe of the late 15th Century was a world of discovery and invention. European explorers sailed west to the Americas and south to Africa, and scholars uncovered the buried civilizations of Greece and Rome. The printing press fed a new hunger for knowledge among a growing middle class. It was the end of chivalry and the rise of a new humanism. It was a time of radical change, social upheaval, and war.

In a quixotic attempt in 1521 to defend the Spanish border fortress of Pamplona against the French artillary, Inigo's right leg was shattered by a cannon ball. His French captors, impressed by the Inigo's courage, carried him on a litter across Spain to his family home at Loyola where he began a long period of convalescence.

During that time, he read several religious books, the only reading material readily available. These books and the isolation of the recovery period brought about a conversion which led to the founding of the Jesuits. Ignatius began to pray. He fasted, did penance and works of charity, dedicated himself to God and, after some troubles with the Spanish Inquisition, decided to study for the priesthood.

As a student in Paris he drew a small band of friends to himself and directed them in extended prayer and meditation according to his Spiritual Exercises. After further studies, the first Jesuits were ordained to the Catholic priesthood in Venice and offered themselves in service to Pope Paul III. In 1540, Paul III approved the Institute of the Society of Jesus. Ignatius was elected General Superior and served in that post until his death in 1556 at the age of 65.

Virtual tour

Saint Ignatius chapel (in Italian)

The room of St. Ignatius and the painted corridor

Saint Ignatius photo gallery (in Italian)

Useful links

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St. Ignatius Loyola - Pilgrim and man of prayer who founded the Society of Jesus (www.sjweb.info)

The Life of St. Ignatius di Loyola (www.stignatiussf.org/a/himself.htm)

Bibliography

De Rosa Giuseppe, Gesuiti, Elledici, La Civiltà Cattolica, Torino - Roma 2006, pp. 149

Ignazio di Loyola, Autobiografia. Commento di Maurizio Costa S.J., Editrice CVX, Roma 1991, pp. 427

Plazaola Juan, Guida a Itinerari Ignaziani, Piemme, Casale Monferrato 1990, pp. 104.

Tellechea Idigoras J. Ignacio, Ignazio di Loyola. Solo e a piedi, Editore Borla, Roma 1990, pp.448.

Last update: September 25th, 2008

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Saint Ignatius of Loyola, SI (1491 - 1556)