Writer Murray Stewart visits Bages and Manresa to document a guide about the Ignatian Way that will be published this autumn · 02/07/2021

02/07/2021

The trip has been organized by the Catalan Tourism Agency with the support of the Diputació de Barcelona and Bages Turisme

Scottish writer Murray Stewart, who is a specialist in travel books, has spent 4 days in Bages documenting a guide about the Ignatian Way that it’s supposed to be published next autumn. This is a guide to selling in bookshops about this route that begins in the Basque Country and ends in Manresa, following the path taken by Ignasi de Loiola in 1522. The book will be published by Bradt Travel Guides and has the support of Basquetour (the tourism agency of the Basque Country) and the Catalan Tourism Agency.

Murray Stewart had a special interest in knowing some of the most emblematic places of the Ignatian Way such as Montserrat and Manresa. During his stay in Bages he visited the monastery and museum of Montserrat, the Castellgali’s Pilgrims Welcome Centre, and the Oller del Mas winery, which is located on the Way. Once in Manresa, he was able to visit the Saint Ignatius’ Cave, the Basilica of la Seu, the Interpretation centre Manresa 1522, the  Balç Street and other spaces linked to Sant Ignasi such as the Chapel of the Rapture or the Well of the hen.

The visit to Bages has been promoted by the Catalan Tourism Agency, with the support of the Diputació de Barcelona, the coordination of Bages Turisme and the collaboration of Manresa Turisme. The publication of this guide will be important to promote the Ignatian Way, which in its last section has as its protagonist the Bages region and the landscapes of the Unesco Geopark of Central Catalonia. A route that offers exceptional panoramic views of the mountain of Montserrat and enters a region with a rich wine-growing past that is evident in the dry stone buildings, wineries and vineyard landscapes. The Way culminates in Manresa where we can find some of the most outstanding monuments of the Ignatian legacy, such as the sanctuary of La Cova.

This action is part of the axes of tourism promotion of the Consell Comarcal del Bages (Bages’ regional council) and the Manresa’s Tourist Marketing Plan, which is being prepared for the start of the jubilee year of the Ignatian Way this coming July and which will be the start of the 500th anniversary of the arrival of Ignatius of Loyola celebration in the capital of Bages.