Sanctuary
Quintessential Ignatian place and universal reference point for the Jesuit world
The surroundings of the Cardener River as it flows through Manresa is characterized by the natural caves excavated in the rock by the force of the wind and the rain. The Church was built over the Cave in 1759. The present complex, built on these cavities, is comprised on the one hand by the Sanctuary of the Cave and on the other hand by the International Center for Ignatian Spirituality. The whole monumental ensemble is a good example of Jesuit architecture and, above all, of Catalan baroque art.
Baroque Side Façade
A sample of the theatricality of the baroque, it consists of three sectors: the little Cave, the Ante-Cave (Cave Lobby) and the church of the Sanctuary. It is structured on three levels: simple base, articulated central body with Ionic pillars and double glazed windows, and an upper body with 26 musician angels, 24 historical figures and elliptical glasses. It dates from the 17th century and is the work of Joan and Francesc Grau.
The Church Façade
It is an example of Jesuit architecture and Catalan baroque. In the center, there is a niche with the structure of the Saint with a pen and the book of Spiritual Exercises, framed by Corinthian columns. Above, the oval rosette symbolizes the divine illumination.
Church
Built between 1750 and 1763, it is comprised of a single nave plant with side chapels, interconnected by an upper gallery with latticework.
From the interior decoration (1864) the altar with the Holy Trinity stands out and the pecularity that the Holy Spirit is represented by a dove over the terrestrial globe. Below, we will find the Virgin of the Immaculate Conception and, on the sides, the images of Saint Ignatius and Saint Francis Xavier. The heart and the tribunes are baroque with gold moldings.
A Meeting Space
The work of the Centro Alleti in Rome was conceived during their visit to the Sanctuary of the Cave of St. Ignatius in 2015. The proposal was to make an itinerary of Salvation history from the Spiritual Exercises. Since then, they designed each of the eight rooms that make up the side aisles of this place of worship. It is worth notng the correlation of the rooms with the Spiritual Exercises.
Ante-Cave
Until the 19th century it was dedicated to worship, but with the building of the church, it became the entrance hall to the Cave. It was ornamented, between 1906 and 1919, by the Jesuit painter Martín Coronas.
"The Cave"
It is the Ignatian space par excellence. It is a cave over the Cardener excavated in the Tertiary by fluvial erosion. In the 17th century, it was decorated with an alabaster altarpiece by Joan Grau showing the figure of the Saint writing the Spiritual Exercises in Manresa.
