The project
The Manresa 2022 Project is a strategic commitment of the city, transversal and participatory, intending to celebrate the 500th anniversary of the arrival of Saint Ignatius of Loyola in Manresa, on his way on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. Ignatius stayed in our city for about a year, was inspired to write the Spiritual Exercises and had a revealing experience, which marked his life and led him to found the Society of Jesus. For this reason, Manresa is considered the birthplace of the Jesuit order. So much so that many Jesuit centres around the world are named after Manresa.
We want to take the opportunity offered by this historical commemoration of world significance and, following the example of the pilgrim who transformed the vision of the Church and the world, renew the image we have of our city and the image we offer to the world. Based on the Ignatian inheritance of five centuries ago, we would like to strengthen both the heritage legacy and the original Ignatian values such as tolerance, solidarity with poverty, the importance of education and knowledge, personal effort, austerity, spirituality, interreligious dialogue, resilience and sense of community.
All of them are still relevant and will help us push the city forward making it more sustainable, adapted to the new environment and economically balanced, without damaging local resources or mortgaging the future of the territory.
At the same time, we must strengthen our welcoming character and, as we welcomed the pilgrim Saint Ignatius, now welcome visitors and tourists who come to Manresa.
We are aware that we must project a new Manresa to change the collective imagination, to generate self-esteem, to open up to the world and to internationalize the city, to become a real tourist destination, and to make Manresa a more competitive city. And more attractive, both for the citizens themselves, visitors and tourists, and both for investing and living there. Creation of wealth and improvement of the quality of life of the citizens is the ultimate goal.
We think that Manresa must be a diverse, welcoming and modern city. It is an intangible resource that the city must promote, which appeals to the identity and human capital of the community. However, we also have the tangible resource of Ignatian heritage scattered throughout the historic centre of the city, such as The Sanctuary of the Cave, La Seu, the Chapel of the Rapture, the well of the Hen, the Chapel of Sant Ignasi Malalt or the Sanctuary of La Salut de Viladordis (in total, 22 Ignatian nodes). Unfortunately, in some cases, this heritage has disappeared. For example, the convent of the Preachers, critical in the stay of St. Ignatius in Manresa, so, we must think about how we preserve the memory of these spaces.
In October 2013, we started the drafting of the outlines of the Manresa 2022 Strategic Project. It was prepared by a transversal committee of experts and staff of the City Council. What's more, a wide range of agents of the city participated, and that set goals and priorities for action until 2022.
We want to take the opportunity offered by this historical commemoration of world significance and, following the example of the pilgrim who transformed the vision of the Church and the world, renew the image we have of our city and the image we offer to the world. Based on the Ignatian inheritance of five centuries ago, we would like to strengthen both the heritage legacy and the original Ignatian values such as tolerance, solidarity with poverty, the importance of education and knowledge, personal effort, austerity, spirituality, interreligious dialogue, resilience and sense of community.
All of them are still relevant and will help us push the city forward making it more sustainable, adapted to the new environment and economically balanced, without damaging local resources or mortgaging the future of the territory.
At the same time, we must strengthen our welcoming character and, as we welcomed the pilgrim Saint Ignatius, now welcome visitors and tourists who come to Manresa.
We are aware that we must project a new Manresa to change the collective imagination, to generate self-esteem, to open up to the world and to internationalize the city, to become a real tourist destination, and to make Manresa a more competitive city. And more attractive, both for the citizens themselves, visitors and tourists, and both for investing and living there. Creation of wealth and improvement of the quality of life of the citizens is the ultimate goal.
We think that Manresa must be a diverse, welcoming and modern city. It is an intangible resource that the city must promote, which appeals to the identity and human capital of the community. However, we also have the tangible resource of Ignatian heritage scattered throughout the historic centre of the city, such as The Sanctuary of the Cave, La Seu, the Chapel of the Rapture, the well of the Hen, the Chapel of Sant Ignasi Malalt or the Sanctuary of La Salut de Viladordis (in total, 22 Ignatian nodes). Unfortunately, in some cases, this heritage has disappeared. For example, the convent of the Preachers, critical in the stay of St. Ignatius in Manresa, so, we must think about how we preserve the memory of these spaces.
In October 2013, we started the drafting of the outlines of the Manresa 2022 Strategic Project. It was prepared by a transversal committee of experts and staff of the City Council. What's more, a wide range of agents of the city participated, and that set goals and priorities for action until 2022.