I always say it, so I'll say it again. The richness of Basque Country goes so much further than the pintxos in San Sebastián. Living here means having an endless list of day trips, cultural marvels that are a short car ride away.

After nearly ten years of wanting to visit a certain monument with global importance, I finally made the trip to the village of Azpeitia, a town tucked into a valley surrounded by limestone peaks and often draped in a misty fog.

What exactly is such a big deal in this tiny village? This:

Iñigo Lopez de Loyola, better known as Saint Ignatius, founder of the Jesuits, was birthed right here in the neighborhood of Loiola, in the Basque village of Azpeitia. ⁣ ⁣

The Jesuits were always front and center during my childhood and university years spent in Louisiana, and I couldn’t believe it the day I found out they were founded in Basque Country. ⁣ ⁣

Making the pilgrimage 40 minutes outside of San Sebastián, to Azpeitia (pop. 14,000) is an incredible experience...watching this complex of basilicas, libraries, convents and spiritual retreats rise up out of the valley as you drive in is magical.

I mean, who would predict that a church this gorgeous, this unique, and this decadent would be sitting more or less in the middle of nowhere (barkatu azpeitarrak!). Construction began on this church in 1688 and it opened in 1738. It is built up and around the house in which St. Ignatius was born.

This medieval structure is also open to visit. You can see the family home, including the room in which Iñigo, as they called him back then, was operated on and almost died in, an experience which led to his passion and founding of the Jesuits.

In the process, I learned what a basilica actually is. As a lifelong Catholic, I suppose I should feel (what else?) guilty for not knowing but I am sharing because I can't be the only one that didn't know! A basilica is a church that is deemed important for religious or cultural reasons. However, it is not a cathedral, no matter how grand, because it is not the seat of the bishop.

I highly recommend a visit here in general, especially if you are a curious Catholic. It’s even better on a cloudy day, when the area is at its most mystical.

Sanctuary of Loyola
Barrio Loiola Núcleo, 16
20730 Loyola, SS
943 02 50 00
https://loyola.global/es/