22 ignatian sites

For eleven months (1522-1523) Manresa hosted Ignatius of Loyola. The city thus influenced the path of a character who eventually became universal. The XVI century was a time of change: for the first time has gone around the world, the Mediterranean was a point of conflict between Muslims and Christians, and the crisis of the Church led to the Protestant Reformation. After abandoning his political and military life to meditation and contemplative life, Íñigo - as he was known - undertook a pilgrimage from his homeland, Loyola, to Jerusalem. He passed through Montserrat and stayed in Manresa where, according to himself, he had a series of mystical experiences that would be key in the writing of his most influential work, the Spiritual Exercises.

Several families from Manresa welcomed him and helped him when he was living like a penitent and more so when he got taken ill. Ignatius found in Manresa numerous spaces - some of them, in solitude - where he practised his new spiritual life.

The critical role that the city played in the configuration of Ignasi's thought and action has been recognized by the Society of Jesus, which has named after Manresa and Cardaner a multitude of facilities, institutions and programs linked to this religious order, present all over the world.

Following in the footsteps of Ignatius of Loyola through Manresa, we move between two epochs. On the one hand, the medieval and Gothic that Ignasi knew, through the Basilica of la Seu, the Interpretation Center of Balç Street and Manresa 1522: the city of Ignatius. 

On the other hand, the city of modern times influenced by the Saint, around the Sanctuary of the Cave and the Regional Museum (former College of St. Ignatius)- specialised in Baroque art.

The 22 sites allow us to discover the city he lived in (1522) and the city of the later centuries, which was influenced by the traces the pilgrim left behind. All of them are exceptional and unique spaces closely connected with Saint Ignatius.