Ignatius of Loyola (1491-1556) was a Spanish Basque priest and theologian, born to a noble family in the Basque Country, who began his career as a soldier before a severe battlefield wound in 1521 prompted a religious conversion. After years of study, pilgrimage and spiritual reflection, during which he composed the Spiritual Exercises, he gathered six companions in Paris and in 1540 founded the Society of Jesus, known as the Jesuits, becoming its first Superior General. Under his leadership the order grew rapidly, establishing schools and missions across Europe and beyond, and Ignatius is venerated as a saint of the Catholic Church.
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