July 31st is the feast day of Ignatius of Loyola, the first General Superior of the Jesuit (Society of Jesus) order.
He is venerated as the patron saint of Catholic soldiers, the Military Ordinariate of the Philippines, the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Baltimore, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Antwerp, Belo Horizonte, Junín, and Rome. He is the patron saint of the Basque provinces of Gipuzkoa and Biscay as well. He was declared the patron saint of all spiritual retreats by Pope Pius XI in 1922.
He was autopsied and dressed for burial on August 1, 1556 in the previous version of the mother church of the Jesuits.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_of_the_Gesù
This is one of the churches bankrolled by the Farnese family, and is archetypically Baroque. It's the one with that great statue of a nun whipping a Protestant while a putto tears pages out of a heretical Lutheran (or Calvinist?) book. Unmissable!
Íñigo was the youngest of thirteen children. As a decorated disabled veteran, he turned towards religious service after a spiritual awakening in a cave in Manresa.
Have you been to this cave in Catalunya? It has become an important Jesuit retreat.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cave_of_Saint_Ignatius
He returned to school in his 30s, to study theology and Latin and get his Master's degree. It was during a study abroad trip to Paris that he and some Spanish roomies formed the Society of Jesus.
"On the morning of the 15th of August, 1534, in the chapel of the Martyrium of Saint Denis, in Montmartre, Loyola and his six companions, of whom only one was a priest, met and took upon themselves the solemn vows of their lifelong work."
After their club got papal approval, they spread all over to start new chapters. Holy Roman Emperor Charles V liked them, which helped them get established. (Imagine if they had social media and PAC money!)
Ignatius was always popular with the ladies, and a fan club in Barcelona financially supported his ambitions. They wanted membership in the Society, but after a falling out between one of them and the Master, the rules were changed to keep women out of the Jesuits. Still stands to this day.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isabella_Roser
What are your favorite places to visit that are part of Jesuit history?