Cova de Sant Ignasi: Spiritual Exercises in Manresa

In a cave above the Cardoner river at Manresa, Ignatius of Loyola spent long months in prayer in 1522 and 1523 and there conceived his Spiritual Exercises, a method of contemplation centred on the life of Jesus that is still practised worldwide. The site is now a Jesuit spirituality centre offering silent prayer retreats, courses of the Exercises and visits, and it is the goal of the Ignatian Way that sets out from Loyola. It is one of the most established paths in the Christian tradition for contemplating the Gospels in retreat, open to people of any background.