Saint · Early modern
Ignatius of Loyola
Basque soldier turned priest; founder of the Society of Jesus and author of the Spiritual Exercises
- Period
- c. 1491–1556
- Feast day
- 31 July
- Associated region
- Loyola and Azpeitia (Gipuzkoa, Spain); Pamplona; Montserrat; Manresa; Rome
Overview
Basque soldier who, after a wound at Pamplona in 1521, founded the Society of Jesus and wrote the Spiritual Exercises.
Key timeline
4 events
- c. 23 October 1491Approximate
Birth at Loyola
- 20 May 1521
Wound at Pamplona
A cannonball shatters his right leg.
- March 1522
Vigil at Montserrat
- 1522
Manresa: visions and formulation of the Exercises
The article places the visions at the hospital in Manresa.
Life
Ignatius was born around 23 October 1491 in the castle at Loyola, Azpeitia, Gipuzkoa, and died in Rome on 31 July 1556.
On 20 May 1521 a cannonball fractured his right leg at Pamplona. During his convalescence he asked for chivalric romances, none was available, and he was given the lives of Christ and of the saints; Ludolph of Saxony’s De Vita Christi affected him most.
In March 1522 he visited Montserrat, confessed, and kept an overnight vigil, hanging his sword and dagger at the Virgin’s altar. The article records no vision there. He then spent several months in a cave near Manresa, where the visions it describes took place at the hospital, and where he formulated the fundamentals of the Spiritual Exercises.
In 1539 he formed the Society of Jesus with Peter Faber and Francis Xavier; Pope Paul III approved it in 1540.
Principal written sources
- Authentic: the Spiritual Exercises, whose fundamentals he formulated at Manresa; published in 1548.
- Authentic, dictated late: the Autobiography, dictated to the Jesuit Louis Gonzalez when his health was failing (by 1553); published in 1555, per the checked article.
- Attributed: none is listed in the checked article.
Full timeline
- c. 23 October 1491Approximate
Birth at Loyola
- 20 May 1521
Wound at Pamplona
A cannonball shatters his right leg.
- March 1522
Vigil at Montserrat
- 1522
Manresa: visions and formulation of the Exercises
The article places the visions at the hospital in Manresa.
- 1539–1540Church-recognised
Society of Jesus formed, then approved
Formed in 1539; approved by Pope Paul III in 1540.
- 1548
Spiritual Exercises published
- 1555
Autobiography published
Dictated to Louis Gonzalez by about 1553.
- 31 July 1556
Death at Rome
- 12 March 1622Church-recognised
Canonised
By Pope Gregory XV (beatified 1609 by Paul V).
Tradition
Beatified in 1609 by Pope Paul V; canonised on 12 March 1622 by Pope Gregory XV. Feast 31 July.
Patron of the Society of Jesus, of Catholic soldiers, and of all spiritual retreats (Pope Pius XI, 1922), per the checked article.
- Feast day
- 31 July — Feast day; anniversary of his death
- Venerated in (starting dataset)
- Catholic. Beatified 27 July 1609 by Pope Paul V and canonised 12 March 1622 by Pope Gregory XV. Patron of all spiritual retreats, declared by Pope Pius XI in 1922. The article also lists the Society of Jesus and Catholic soldiers among his patronages, without dates.
- Patronage and roles (starting dataset)
- Jesuits, Soldiers, Retreats
- Places
- Loyola · Azpeitia · Pamplona · Montserrat · Manresa · Rome
Accounts
Accounts in the starting dataset
The source workbook lists these under “Confirmed Miracle / Key Event”. The Atlas does not treat them as confirmed: each is labelled by the kind of evidence behind it.
DocumentedThe cannonball at Pamplona, and a conversion after it
“Instant conversion after cannonball shattered leg at Pamplona”
The wound (20 May 1521) is documented. 'Instant conversion' is not described: the checked article describes a convalescence in which reading the lives of Christ and the saints affected him.
UnverifiedA vision of Our Lady of Montserrat, and dictation of the Spiritual Exercises there
“Vision of Our Lady of Montserrat & dictation of Spiritual Exercises”
The checked article records a vigil at Montserrat in March 1522 with no vision there. It places the formulation of the Exercises at Manresa, and their publication in 1548.
Sources
About the image · Editorial design
Decorative initial I, drawn for the Atlas. It is not a likeness of Ignatius.
Editorial status
Reference entry, drafted with particular care. Key dates were spot-checked during this build against the sources marked “checked” below; other references are listed for later verification.
References
Reference work✓ Checked in build session
Ignatius of Loyola (opens in a new tab)
Opened in this session. Checked: birth (c. 23 October 1491, Loyola) and death (31 July 1556, Rome), the Pamplona wound (20 May 1521) and convalescence reading, the Montserrat vigil (March 1522, no vision), Manresa, the Exercises (formulated at Manresa, published 1548), the Autobiography (dictated to Louis Gonzalez about 1553, published 1555), the Society (1539, approved 1540), beatification (27 July 1609), canonisation (12 March 1622) and the 1922 retreats patronage. Conflict noted: the article's lead gives 1541 in Paris for the Society; the body text gives 1539, which this record follows.
Workbook linkNot yet checked
jesuits.global (opens in a new tab)
Link supplied in the source workbook (“Top 100 Saints”, row 79). It has not been checked to confirm that it supports every claim in that row.
Original workbook record
Imported unchanged from “Top 100 Saints”, row 79. Values here are the starting dataset, not verified facts; where the Atlas differs, the reason is noted below.
- #
- 71
- Saint / Title
- Saint Ignatius of Loyola
- Primary Traditions Veneration
- Catholic
- Feast Day(s)
- July 31
- Era / Lived
- 1491 – 1556 AD
- Origin / Region
- Azpeitia, Spain / Rome
- Patronage & Major Roles
- Jesuits, Soldiers, Retreats
- Confirmed Miracle / Key Event 1
- Instant conversion after cannonball shattered leg at Pamplona
- Confirmed Miracle / Key Event 2
- Vision of Our Lady of Montserrat & dictation of Spiritual Exercises
- Key Contribution / Historical Significance
- Spanish knight who founded Society of Jesus (Jesuits) and wrote 'Spiritual Exercises'.
- Reference Link
- https://www.jesuits.global
Editorial notes on this record
- Confirmed Miracle / Key Event 1: “Instant conversion”: the checked article describes a convalescence in which reading moved him, not an instant conversion.
- Confirmed Miracle / Key Event 2: Montserrat vision and Exercises: the checked article records a vigil with no vision there, and places the Exercises at Manresa.