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Sanctuary of Loyola, learn about the history of St. Ignatius.
The Sanctuary of Loyola (Loiola in Basque) is one of the most important and emblematic temples of Euskadi. This sanctuary, popularly known as the little Vatican, is the perfect place to learn about the history of Iñigo de Loyola (St. Ignatius), founder of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits). Remember that we offer guided tours for groups throughout the year, we recommend that you ask us for a quote. Would you like to visit the Sanctuary of Loyola with us?
Information about the Sanctuary of Loyola.
- Guided tours for groups: Here.
- Duration of visit: 1 hour approximately.
- Price: From 250€ / group
- Location: Sanctuary of Loyola, Azpeitia, Gipuzkoa.
Guided tours in the Sanctuary of Loyola.
We offer guided tours in the Sanctuary of Loyola for groups throughout the year. During these tours we will learn about the history of one of the most remarkable characters of the Basque Country, Iñigo de Loyola (St. Ignatius). Our local guides will help you learn all the details about the life of St. Ignatius of Loyola through a tour in which we will visit the interior and exterior of the Basilica of Loyola and the birthplace of the Loyola family. If you are planning to visit the Loyola Shrine in a group, we recommend that you contact us so that we can send you a personalized quote.
Excursion to the Sanctuary of Loyola.
As some of you already know, we organize excursions to the Sanctuary of Loyola from any corner of the Basque Country. We organize buses to visit the Sanctuary of Loyola from Donostia San Sebastian, Bilbao and any other urban center. An excursion that can be complemented by visiting places such as Azpeitia, Azkoitia or the Basque Railway Museum. A nice touristic program that we always adapt to the needs and tastes of the groups that visit us. Do not hesitate to contact us to check availability.
Sanctuary of Loyola.
This religious complex located between mountains, in the Urola Valley, was built around the tower house of the Loyola family. An architectural process that began in the seventeenth century and concluded in the eighteenth century. As you can imagine, this complex would not exist if Iñigo Lopez de Loyola had not been converted in 1521. There have been several milestones in this Basque sanctuary, but undoubtedly one of the most important was the visit of Pope John Paul II in 1982.
The basilica of Loyola is located in the central building. A structure designed by the Italian architect Carlo Maria Fontana that can be seen from afar thanks to its enormous dome of more than 20 meters high. This dome has the coats of arms of the Habsburgs and the Bourbons, patrons of this great architectural structure. More than 600 stonemasons were involved in its construction, working the limestone extracted from more than 20 quarries located on Mount Izarraitz.
Birthplace of St. Ignatius.
The Sanctuary of Loyola was built around the house of the Loyola family. A 14th century tower house with walls more than 1.5 meters thick and loopholes that make it an authentic medieval fortress. With the passage of time, the house underwent several alterations, converting the tower house into a palatial home. Today the building is divided into 4 floors. The first floor housed the stables and the family wine cellar, the second floor housed the kitchen, the second floor the main room, the oratory and the family dining room. Finally, the fourth floor housed the rooms of the brothers and sisters of St. Ignatius. After the vision of the Virgin with the child Jesus, this area was converted into the conversion chapel.
Video.
As usual in all our publications, we leave you a short video about the Sanctuary of Loyola so you can check in the most real possible way what awaits you during your next getaway in Euskadi. If you like this kind of videos we encourage you to subscribe to our YouTube channel to discover all the places and experiences that we recommend in the Basque Country.
Tickets for the Sanctuary of Loyola.
It is necessary to pay to enter the interior of the Sanctuary of Loyola. In fact, the entrance fees to the Sanctuary of Loyola are included in the budget we send to the groups. Do not worry about the entrance fees, we take care of everything. If you want to do the guided tour on your own, remember that it is necessary to book the tickets in advance.
The route of the 3 Basquetemples.
If you are thinking of visiting the Sanctuary of Loyola, we encourage you to take a look at the route of the 3 Basque temples. A route through the interior of Euskadi that takes us to know the Sanctuary of Loyola (Azpeitia), the hermitage of La Antigua (Zumarraga) and the Sanctuary of Arantzazu(Oñati). Remember that we offer this route throughout the year (only for groups), do not hesitate to contact us so that we can help you organize this excursion through the most important religious sites in the province of Gipuzkoa.
Ignatian Way.
The Ignatian Way allows us to follow the first stretch that Ignatius of Loyola (St. Ignatius) walked during his pilgrimage to Jerusalem (holy land) in 1522. This first stretch takes us from Loyola to Manresa. After arriving in Barcelona he embarked by boat to the Holy Land. If you want to do the Ignatian Way, remember that there are 27 stages. We recommend you to do any of the 6 stages of Euskal Herria.
- Stage 1: Loiola – Zumarraga (17.5 km).
- Stage 2: Zumarraga – Arantzazu (19.2 km).
- Stage 3: Arantzazu – Araia (17.7 km).
- Stage 4: Araia – Alda (21.5 km).
- Stage 5: Alda – Genevilla (17.9 km).
- Stage 6: Genevilla – Guardia (27 km).
Frequently Asked Questions.
There are many questions about the Sanctuary of Loyola that you send us through our contact form. Here is a brief list of the most frequently asked questions. We hope it will be of help to you. If you do not find an answer to your questions we encourage you to use the comment system of this article, we will try to answer as soon as possible.
- What to see in the Sanctuary of Loyola? Our guided tour shows us the Sanctuary of Loyola and the birthplace of St. Ignatius.
- Where was the Ignatius of Loyola film shot? The film was shot in locations such as the Pyrenees, Azpeitia, Artajona, Monasterio de la Oliva, Bardenas Reales, Zugarramurdi and Sos del Rey Católico.
- How is St. Ignatius known in other places? Saint Ignatius came to live in Catalonia, Italy, France and Euskadi among others, which is why he is also known as Sant Ignasi, St Ignatius, Sant’ Ignazio, San Ignace or San Ignazio.
- What to see in and around Loiola? There are many options such as Azpeitia or Azkoitia, we recommend that you take a look at the section of what to see nearby.
- When is the feast of St. Ignatius of Loyola celebrated? July 31.
- What language did St. Ignatius of Loyola speak? Although due to his origin Iñigo spoke Basque and Spanish, with time he acquired new languages such as Latin.
- What is Saint Ignatius of Loyola known for? Although St. Ignatius of Loyola is remembered for many acts, his greatest milestone was the founding of the Society of Jesus.
- What are the ticket prices for the Sanctuary of Loyola? 4 per person (subject to change).
- What is the schedule for the guided tours? Although the guided tours we offer usually take place at 10:30 a.m. and 12:00 p.m., we can adapt to the needs of the group.
How to get there.
There are different ways to get to the Sanctuary of Loyola by public transportation. All of them by bus. We leave you a brief list of all the options we have to get to Loyola. Remember that we have all kinds of transport with driver, do not hesitate to ask for an estimate.
- Bus from Bilbao: There is no bus that directly connects the capital of Bizkaia with the Sanctuary of Loyola. In this case, the best option is to go to Eibar and from there take the UK05 line of the Lurraldebus company to Azpeitia.
- Bus from Zumarraga: The line UK06 of the company Lurraldebus allows us to reach Azpeitia in a comfortable and practical way.
- Bus from Donostia San Sebastian: The UK01 line of the company Lurraldebus is the best option to reach Azpeitia from the capital of Gipuzkoa.
What to see near the Sanctuary of Loyola.
If you want to complement your visit to the Sanctuary of Loyola with other places of interest, we recommend that you take a look at the list we have prepared. We hope it will be of help.
As you have seen, the visits to the Sanctuary of Loyola are a great option for people who want to know the origin of St. Ignatius. Remember that you can use the comment system below these lines to send us any questions you may have. We will try to respond as soon as possible. Ondo pasa!
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