Loyola

The first stop on our Camino trip was Loyola, home of St. Ignatius the founder of the Society of Jesus (AKA the Jesuits). Loyola is not part of the Camino de Santiago, but our trip is being led by Fr. Michael Sparough, a Jesuit, and so to Loyola we went. I really like the Jesuits and their philosophy of finding God in all things.

Loyola is in the Basque region of Spain, a very green, lush part of the country.

The Basques are a tough, independent minded people. They speak a language that is not related to the other Romance languages; no one knows where it comes from. It uses a lot of X's, Z's and Q's.

Ignatius came from a wealthy, noble family. Above is a photo of the interior of their home. The little window on the left is a lookout from which they could also shoot arrows if needed.

Ignatius's brother, Martin, sailed with Christopher Columbus on his second voyage to the New World. Martin married Maria Magdalena, a friend of Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand. They gave the couple the above altar as a wedding gift.

Above is a photo of Fr. Michael, our tour leader, next to a statue of St. Ignatius in the room in the house where Ignatius had his conversion. Here's what happened: Ignatius was a  fierce soldier. ladies man, and nominal Catholic. He was in a battle with some rich, noble soldiers from France when his leg was badly injured by a cannonball. During his recovery, he was bored so he asked his sister-in-law, Magdalena, for some books to read. At first he read some tales of chivalrous knights and when he finished those, she brought him some books on the life of Jesus and lives of the saints to read. Ignatius noticed that after he finished reading the stories of the knights, he felt flat and discontented. But after he read the life of Jesus and the saints, he felt uplifted and positive. He began to realize how far he had grown from God. He decided that he wanted to move to the Holy Land and follow Jesus in all ways. It was the first step toward the establishment of the Jesuit order.

A Basilica to Ignatius was constructed next to his family home.

The Basilica is in the baroque style, which someone described as looking like a wedding cake. There is a lot of movement in the design. Above is the gorgeous altar.

Above is a statue of St. Peter Fabar, one of Ignatius's earliest associates. 

Loyola was a place where we could have happily spent a lot more time.