Íñigo López de Loyola was born in Azpeitia, Spain back in 1491to Don Beltrán and Doña Marina. His mother died soon after his birth so he was put in the care of the local blacksmith’s wife. He became a page (messenger at the service of a nobleman). During this time, he took up dancing, fencing, gambling, and the pursuit of the young ladies.He joined the army at seventeen, he was known as a fancy dresser, an expert dancer and sensitive to insult. He participated in many battles without injury. That all changed in 1521, when a cannonball ricocheted off a nearby wall, shattering his right leg, that ended his military career. During his recovery he underwent a spiritual conversion and discerned a call to the religious life. He resolved to begin a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, to “kiss th...
Comments
17