Ignatius of Loyola
1491 – 1556 · Loyola (Spain) — Paris — Rome
Founder of the Jesuits
Awaiting theological review
In one sentence
A soldier wounded at Pamplona who discovered God in the movements of his heart and founded the Society of Jesus.
Why this person matters
His Spiritual Exercises have taught millions to pray and to make decisions before God.
Wounded in 1521, he read lives of Christ and the saints while recovering.
In Paris he gathered companions, among them Francis Xavier.
Pope Paul III approved the Society of Jesus in 1540.
Key ideas
- Finding God in all things
- Discernment of spirits
Why they still matter
Jesuit schools and missions spread across the world.
Before
- Catherine of Siena1347 – 1380
Contemporary
- Francis Xavier1506 – 1552
- Teresa of Ávila1515 – 1582
After
- John of the Cross1542 – 1591
- Spiritual Exercises
- Autobiography
- Constitutions of the Society of Jesus
- Historical context
Statements are labelled by source. Early Christian sources are named where known; dates before the 4th century are often approximate.