Ignatian Manresa
Manresa, cradle city of the Jesuit order
Illumination of the Cardener
A key milestone in the the stay of San Ignacio in Manresa is the experience that he lived in front of the Cardener River. There he had a vision which has been called the "Illumination of the Cardener." Saint Ignatius describes it in his autobiography: "And while sitting there, the eyes of understanding began to open for him. It was not that he saw a vision, but that he understood and knew many things with such great enlightenment that all things seemed new to him ".
Manresa played a very important role in the configuration of Ignacio's thought and action, something which has been recognized by the Society of Jesus, which has adopted the Manresa and Cardener toponyms to name a multitude of facilities, features and programs linked to this religious order, present all over the world. Ignatian Manresa is comprised of all the spaces and heritage assets that form part of Ignatius' legacy as he engaged with the city in 1522. They include both the places the Saint knew during his stay and those that were erected in his memory.
Cave of Saint Ignatius
The Cave of Saint Ignatius is part of the Manresan landscape. In this cave, built between the 17th and 18th centuries, the Saint, Ignatius of Loyola, retired to meditate and write his Spiritual Exercises.
Regional Museum (former School of Saint Ignatius)
The city council of Manresa inaugurated in 1896 the first municipal museum, which has been growing over the years, according to the ups and downs of the city's history. In 1977 it was renamed as the Manresa Regional Museum. With a multidisciplinary focus, its collections are centered on the art and history of Manresa, Bages and Catalonia.
The Chapel of the Rapture
Located in the old Hospital of Saint Lucia, and destroyed during the Civil War, this chapel recalls one of the miracles experienced by Saint Ignatius of Loyola: a spiritual rupture during which he remained motionless for eight days.
The Canyelles Family Home
In the first days of his stay in Manresa, for a few days, Ignatius of Loyola settled down in the lower part of the house that was on this spot of the Sobrerroca Street (now Calle Sobrerroca, 30), after staying in the hospital of St. lucia.
Well of the Hen
In the Sobrerroca Street we find a well that, according to the legend, one fine day fell a hen that a girl, Agnes, was taking care of. The hen belonged to her stepmother, and Agnes, who was very afraid of her, asked St. Ignatius to get the hen out of the well alive, and that is exactly what happened.
Balç Street Interpretation Center
Located in the premises of an old house, the interpretation center offers a montage with multimedia resources that showcases a unique heritage set and, at the same time, reveals how the Manresa of the 14th century was.
Basilica of la Seu
La Seu de Manresa is the principal monument in Manresa. The Gothic church that we can behold today was designed by Berenguer de Montagut, who also did works as important as Santa Maria del Mar in Barcelona.
Chapel of Saint Ignatius the Sick
Building recognized as a Local Cultural Heritage Site and heavily renovated in 2015 in the framework of the campaign of the City Hall of Manresa for the recovery and promotion of all those sites of the city with which San Ignatius of Loyola had contact, on the occasion of the 500th anniversary of the stay of Saint Ignatius in Manresa, to be held in 2022.
El Carmen Youth Hostel (former Convent and Church of El Carme)
In the Plaza del Milcentenari, next to the church of the Carmen, we find the remains of the old cloister of the convent of the Carmelite monks. From the 19th century until 1965, this convent served as military barracks.
Amigant House
The Amigant were a powerful family in Manresa who met Ignatius of Loyola. The future saint always had contact with the married couple formed by Andreu Amigant and Ángela Seguí, whom he thanked for the welcome that they gave to him.
Square of Sant Domènec (former Convent of the Preachers)
The square of Sant Domènec is the center of modern Manresa, which emerged from the city expansion projects. This square, remodeled a few years ago, was urbanized in 1936, when the church of Saint Peter Martyr was demolished.
Tower of Saint Catherine
The Tower of Saint Catherine, with a cylindrical base, was erected on the hill of the same name in 1836, due to the wars between Carlists and Elizabethans, almost coinciding with the expansion of the castle of Puigterra, now completely disappeared.
The Cardener River and the Old Bridge
The Old Bridge crosses the Cardener River at the southwest entrance of Manresa. Of Roman origin, the present one is a faithful reconstruction of the medieval bridge that dates from the 12th century, of which the bases of the central arches are preserved.
Cross and Chapel of the Guidance
Initially it was located near the Old Bridge, next to the old Chapel of the Guidance. The cross, originally from the 16th century, was destroyed and rebuilt several times.
Beuys Cross
Manresa Hbf, 1994, homage to Joseph Beuys and Ignacio de Loyola. Cross by the Danish sculptor Björn Norgaard, who was part of Manresa Hauptbanhhof artistic action [Manresa central station], along with the composer Henning Christiansen.
Chapel of Saint Marc
The Chapel of Saint Mark, located at the southern entrance of Manresa, right next to the Old Bridge, is Gothic in style. Years ago it had inside the altarpiece of Saint Mark and Saint Anianus, painted by Arnau Bassa, which is kept currently in the Basilica of the Seu.
Tort Cross
Originally from the 14th century, it was one of the places where St. Ignatius often stopped to pray.
The Well of Light
The Well of Light, installed by Fernando Prats in 2008, includes a 15-meter drilling which symbolizes the connection between different points of the Earth through mystical experience.
Hermitage of Sant Pau and water tank
Built in 1308 and dedicated to Saint Mark and Saint Barbara. In 1412 it was handed over to some hermits from Montserrat, who put it under the patronage of San Pablo. In the 15th century, upon the settling there of some monks from Valldaura, it became a Cistercian priory.
Convent of Saint Clare
Convent of medieval origin, occupied by a community of Clarisses nuns. In the seventeenth century Dominican cloistered nuns resided there. In 1904, the architect Alexandre Soler i March projected the expansion of the convent and designed a new structure for the west façade in a clearly modernist style.
The Culla Cross
It is located near the Culla farmhouse and documented since the year 1009. Placed at the foot of the old Royal road, it marked the entrance to the city coming from Barcelona..
Sanctuary of the Salut (Viladordis)
The church of Santa Maria de la Salud was built in the 10th century, outside the city walls.
Apart from the itineraries -thought so that the visitor can tour them without needing a guide- the Tourist Office of Manresa offers a wide range of guided tours. More information at the Tourist Office of Manresa.