Declared a Cultural Property of National Interest (BCIN), the old school of Sant Ignasi is a large building with a quadrangular plan built around a large central cloister with a neoclassical feel. It was built by the Jesuits in the middle of the 18th century on land adjacent to the old hospital of Santa Llúcia, a place where members of this religious order had settled since the beginning of the 17th century. For many years it was as a school.
This college, the second established by the Jesuits in Catalonia, had its first location in the old hospital of Santa Llúcia and was rebuilt around 1750, with extensions during the 19th century. The College of Sant Ignasi, run by the Jesuits until 1892, was a college specializing in humanistic studies.
The facades of the building stand out for their humble and simple construction that presents irregular openings along the facade, breaking up the monotony of the stone wall. In Carrer Viladordis is the sandstone baroque portal that gave entrance to the original 18th century building. Inside the building, the original staircase from the first construction is preserved, which is visible again with the renovation works.
The area surrounding Via Sant Ignasi, Plaça de Sant Ignasi, Carrer Viladordis and Carrer de Vidal i Barraquer in Manresa is a place of significant historical and heritage interest for the city. The various buildings that have occupied these spaces serve as a perfect witness to the historical evolution of the city since the Middle Ages. In the middle of the 13th century, the Lower Hospital was founded there, and despite an attempt to build a chapel around 1300, it was not completed until years later. This opportunity arose through the initiative of the confraternity of Sant Tomàs and Santa Llúcia, made up of house masters and wall builders, who expressed their desire to have an exclusive chapel.
The authorization of the bishop of Vic in 1321 allowed the construction of the chapel near the Lower Hospital, in 1323 it was under construction and was renovated or rebuilt in 1428. Despite the apparent circumstances, the Hospital de Santa Llúcia evolved over time towards the foundation of a school of the Society of Jesus. This development originated after the founder of the order, Ignatius of Loyola, experienced the abduction episode in the hospital in 1522. In 1623, the confraternity of Sant Tomàs and Santa Llúcia moved, and the Jesuits, owners of the buildings since 1602, transformed the chapel into a temple dedicated to Saint Ignatius of Loyola. In addition, they erected a new chapel, the Rapture Chapel, at the site of the incident. At the same time, the Jesuits made renovations to the buildings to turn them into a college and residence.
During the 18th century, the college of Sant Ignasi experienced a period of prosperity that led to the consideration of the construction of a new college of large dimensions. The works began in 1737 with the feasible project of the Jesuit master builder of Aragonese origin, José Galván (or Galban), with the support of the master carpenter from Tarragona Francesc Magrinyà. However, the expulsion of the Jesuits in 1767 caused the work to stop. The original project was not completed until the middle of the 19th century. The church was consecrated in 1820, and the east and south wings of the cloister were built between 1865 and 1881, following the approach of the architect Modest Fossas Pi.
At the beginning of the 20th century, the college of Sant Ignasi consisted of two architectural blocks: the old Hospital and the first college with the chapels of Santa Llúcia and the Rapture, and the new college with the church of Saint Ignatius. With the start of the Spanish Civil War in 1936, the local authorities ordered the demolition of all the churches in Manresa. During the autumn of that year, the brigades of workers destroyed the church of Sant Ignasi and all the buildings of the old Hospital, including the Chapel of the Rapture. The “new school” was damaged during the bombing of 1938 and was later used as a barracks, shelter and prison. Despite this, the wings of the cloister were preserved. The loss of the church of Sant Ignasi permanently modified the original design of the 18th century.
After the Civil War, the area where the church of Sant Ignasi and the buildings of the old Hospital de Santa Llúcia were in a state of demolition. The Jesuits, with the intention of reorganizing this space and freeing the banks of the Sant Ignasi creek, promoted some initiatives, one of which was the reconstruction of the Santa Llúcia church and the adjacent hospital room where the Rapture took place.
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Plaça de Sant Ignasi 14-16, 08241 Manresa — Barcelona
+34 938 741 155
El Museu del Barroc de Catalunya està englobat dins l’espai del Museu de Manresa. Accedeix a la seva web des d’aquí:
El Museu del Barroc de Catalunya està englobat dins l’espai del Museu de Manresa. Accedeix a la seva web des d’aquí:
Plaça de Sant Ignasi 14-16
08241 Manresa — Barcelona
+34 938 741 155
Plaça de Sant Ignasi 14-16, 08241 Manresa — Barcelona
+34 938 741 155
The Museu del Barroc de Catalunya is part of the Museu de Manresa. Accedeix a la seva web des d’aquí:
The Museu del Barroc de Catalunya is part of the Museu de Manresa. Accedeix a la seva web des d’aquí:
Plaça de Sant Ignasi 14-1608241 Manresa — Barcelona
+34 938 741 155
