PhD Program in Historical studies
Ignatius of Loyola and his legacy in the Hospital de Antezana
Attracted by the new idea of education offered by the University founded by Cisneros, Ignatius of Loyola (picture) moved to Alcalá de Henares, where he studied to become a priest between 1526 and 1527. The few years he spent in the Castillian city left an imprint in the spirituality that, years later, Ignatius wanted to convey to the Society of Jesus. In Alcalá he met some of the co-founders of the Company, namely Alfonso SalmerónAlfonso Salmerón (1515-1585) was born in Toledo to a family of humble origins. After attending the University of Alcalá de Henares, he moved to Paris to finish his studies. Among the earliest members of the Society of Jesus, Salmerón also later moved to Rome and took part in the Council of Trent (1545-1563). A teacher of theology in Ingolstadt, he never took up positions in the government of the Order., Nicolás de BobadillaA native of Valencia, Nicolás de Bobadilla (1509-1590) was formed in Alcalá de Henares, then moved to Paris to complete his education. Together with Ignatius of Loyola (1491-1556) and his first companions he was among the first members of the Society of Jesus. He carried out diplomatic assignments in Germany on behalf of Pope Paul III (1468-1549), however, entering into conflict with Emperor Charles V (1500-1558) for his opposition to the Peace of Augsburg (1555). and Jerónimo NadalA Jesuit born in Palma de Mallorca (1507-1580) who worked closely with Ignatius of Loyola in the early years of the Society of Jesus. After studying in Alcalá de Henares and Paris, he entered the new Order in 1545, becoming a confidant of the founder. He was the first rector of the Jesuit college in Messina and played a key role in the definition of the Constitutions of the Society and of the Ratio Studiorum. He also attended the Council of Trent.. Together they began to stand out by begging in the streets, walking barefoot and wearing a simple habit (sayal), from which the term ensayalados was derived, by which they were known to Alcalá. The life of poverty brought the first Jesuits to provide assistance to the most needy in hospitals. Ignatius, in particular, stayed in the Hospital de Antezana, where they were guaranteed food, drink and candles in exchange for the service provided to patients admitted to the hospital. The building, which was founded in 1483 following the will of Don Luis de Antezana, regidor of the villa of Guadalajara, and his wife Isabel de Guzmán, from the prestigious noble family of Medina Sidonia, can still be visited today. At the time of its foundation, the intention was to transfer the old Hospital de San Julián, the original building of which by then ruined by the passage of time, to some houses owned by Antezana in the Calle Mayor of Alcalá de Henares, where there still is a free hospital, one of the oldest in Europe to provide its services on a non-profit basis.
The façade is simple and the hospital maintains a structure similar to that of the time of Ignatius. The courtyard (photo) is pre-Renaissance, formed by two rows of shelves and supports keep the tunnel in the wood. Here Ignatius dedicated himself to preaching and started to give his Spiritual Exercises to the poor, which later would go on to influence the history of Spanish spirituality. Precisely because of his activity in the courtyard of the Hospital, Ignatius was interrogated by the Inquisition on charges of receiving too many visits by aristocratic women, and that event convinced him that it was convenient to get away from the city. The upper gallery of the Hospital de Antezana still retains the kitchen used by Ignatius, while the room in which he slept was transformed into a Baroque chapel at the request of the Society of Jesus in 1658. Today the chapel is located at the foot of the church of the hospital, in front of the entrance door, and inside, beyond the railing of the seventeenth century, you can admire an altarpiece with a depiction of Saint Ignatius wielding, with the right hand, the emblem of the Society (IHS), while his left hand holds a large book, supported by two angels, bearing the inscription Ad majorem gloriam Regulae Societatis Jesu. The Holy Spirit, in the upper part of the image, cloaks Saint Ignatius. In addition to this canvas, painted by Diego González de la VegaThe licenciado Diego González (1622/1628 – 1697) was born in Madrid. He was one of the most remarkable painters of the Spanish Baroque, a disciple of Francisco Rizi, who is also the author of some of the best paintings made for the Company. His painting technique skill stands out in its use of colour in religious themes. In 1655 he painted for the Jesuit Colegio Imperial in Madrid with a picture of the Martyrs of Japan, located in the chapel of Saint Francis Xavier. in 1669, it is equally important to emphasize the collection of Baroque paintings, related to the Company, preserved in the interior of the church of the hospital. The most impressive among them is a huge canvas painted by Pedro de ValpuestaWas a painter born in Burgo de Osma (1614-1668), who ended his life as a priest. He was a very popular artist in the court of Philip IV. Like his teacher Eugenio Cajés, Valpuesta lengthens the ends of his figures, drawing unusual and artificial postures. Among the few works of his that have come down to us, stands the canvas of Saint Ignatius of Loyola, one of the most representative of his work. in 1658, depicting the life of Saint Ignatius through various scenes. In the image, which occupies the entire back wall of the church, the saint appears, life-size, who again holds a case with the emblem of the Society (IHS) in his right hand and in the left a book bearing the inscription “¿Cuántas partes tiene la doctrina cristiana?“. In the upper part of the picture, on the left, there is a little scene which depicts Ignatius while dealing with the sick, while below the saint is praying before the Virgin. At the top right of the picture you can see Ignatius casting out demons and monsters, while lower down the founder of the Order, together with his brothers, teaches children.
However, the link between the Hospital de Antezana and the Jesuits have deeper roots. In addition to being a witness to important events in the life of Ignatius and preserving a great artistic legacy of the Society in the Baroque period, the Hospital was home, throughout the seventeenth century, to many of the Jesuits who decided to leave the lodgings at the Colegio Máximo of the Company (founded years later in Alcalá de Henares) where they studied, to follow the example of the poverty of their founder in the hospital. This was the case, among others, of Diego Luis de San VítoresHe was born in Burgos in 1627. He followed his missionary vocation in the Society of Jesus, taking charge of preparing the Jesuit evangelization of the Mariana Islands. Philip IV was persuaded by him to patronize such a mission, but it mostly involved Queen Mariana of Austria, in honour of whom he gave the name to the distant islands. He is also attributed with the founding of the first Catholic church in the island of Guam, where he was martyred, together with his brothers, by the natives in 1672., a famous Jesuit missionary.