Retreatans

Iñigo in contemplation

Iñigo stayed in the cave in Manresa about one year. He was sorry for all his sins, and he prayed over the mysteries of Jesus' life. Thus he was the first to go through spiritual exercises under the direction of our Lady, the Blessed Virgin Mary. He recorded the instructions and insights and later wrote a book Spiritual Exercises. This book has been used for centuries by many who wanted to know and follow the Lord Jesus Christ. Today the cave is nicely maintained and is part of the Jesuit church. At the entrance to the cave angels hold the inscriptions with sentences taken from the book Spiritual Exercises written by St. Ignatius in Spanish.

The left angel carries the inscription:

I seek the inner knowledge of the Lord who for my sake became a man so that I may love him and revere Him ever more.

The right angel carries the inscription:

Christ calls everyone under His standard, and on the other side Lucifer under his.