The Hospital de la Magdalena in Azpeitia, where St. Ignatius of Loyola spent three months in 1535, stands as a historic place intrinsically linked to the founder of the Society of Jesus. The saint’s stay in this hospital after his conversion, renouncing family comforts, was a turning point in the life of people of Azpeitia. His visit was long remembered, since St. Ignatius introduced many reforms in social customs, relying on the Gospels and on what he had learned in Paris in his long years of studies.
The adjoining hermitage, with Mudejar elements and mosaics commemorating St. Ignatius’ dedication to pilgrimage and teaching, together with the recent restoration of the hospital, which houses an interpretation center dedicated to the saint, make this complex a reference point for understanding the figure and transcendence of St. Ignatius of Loyola.
During his time in the hermitage-hospital of La Magdalena, St. Ignatius continued with his line of work and style of life begun in Manresa in 1522: living in the hospital for passers-by and the sick, helping as much as possible, conversing about the Spirit and his personal experience with anyone who wanted to listen to him, etc. It was this Ignatian style that was consolidated when the Society of Jesus was created. The Formula of the Institute, approved by Pope Julius III in 1550, specifies the desire to rely on poverty as the pillar of their lifestyle, preaching and teaching catechism, as well as care for the helpless and the sick. The lifestyle of St. Ignatius in the Magdalene represented an implementation of what would become the fundamental model of social commitment to the spiritual mission of the incipient Society of Jesus.
- Address
Magdalena Auzoa 16, Azpeitia, Gipuzkoa (Spagna) - Web
https://loyola.global/en/other-ignatian-places/35-hospital-of-la-magdalena - Visiting Hours
Unknown - What to see
Home of St. Ignatius of Loyola after his conversion
Hospital de La Magdalena – Interior 
Hospital de La Magdalena – Interior 
Hospital de La Magdalena – Interior 
Hospital de La Magdalena – Interior 
Hospital de La Magdalena – Interior 
Hospital de La Magdalena – Interior 
Hospital de La Magdalena – Exterior 
Hospital de La Magdalena – Exterior
