Cave of Saint Ignatius

About

The Cave of Saint Ignatius is a sanctuary declared as a Local Cultural Heritage that includes a baroque church and a neoclassical building in Manresa (Catalonia), which was created to honor the place where, according to tradition, Saint Ignatius of Loyola shut himself in a cave to pray and do penance during his sojourn in the city from March 1522 to February 1523, where he wrote the Spiritual Exercises returning from his pilgrimage to Montserrat.

History: In 1522, Saint Ignatius of Loyola lived for 11 months in a natural cave. In 1603 a chapel dedicated to Saint Ignatius was built next to the cave. In the 17th century a church was built as a lobby of the cave. Benediction of the church occurred in 1844. From 1894-96 the convent and the house of spirituality were built. In 1915-18, the aisle between the church and the cave was artistically decorated.

Description: The Cave is a natural grotto facing Montserrat and over which the Church, the Jesuit Residence and the Centre of Spirituality are built. In the Cave there is an alabaster altarpiece (second half of the 17th century) that represents Saint Ignatius as penitent, with a pen in his hands and his look towards Montserrat...