Day fourteen.

(For other Pilgrimage photos, click here.)

DAY FOURTEEN: LOYOLA

Right after our quick stop to the Burgos Cathedral, we headed straight to our next destination: Loyola. Honestly, it never occurred to me that Loyola was in fact a place or that it was in Spain, of all places (thought it was somewhere in Southern America??). And I thought it was just a name! But nope, it's a real, breathing, gorgeous city I was lucky to visit. 

Some info about Loyola: this particular place is actually called the Santuario de Loyola (or Loiolako Santutegia in Basque). It is similar to the Fatima Sanctuary wherein it consists of different edifices built around the birthplace of St. Ignatius of Loyola, also known as the founder of the Society of Jesus whose member are called Jesuits. The sanctuary is located in the municipality of Azpeitia, Basque Country. 

The inside of the basilica:

We also had our own private mass inside one of the chapels.

After our mass, we were able to do a (voice)guided tour in the museum. You go from one station to another and listen to the history of how St. Ignatius and the Society of Jesus came to be. It was actually pretty informative and engaging. 

Ended our tour just taking photos and at one point, we headed to a nearby cafeteria for a quick bite and rest.

Again, this is pretty much a quick stop. We only spent a few hours here but at least we were able to see the basilica, have mass, do a museum tour, and take pics. I really enjoyed our visit, mainly because of the gorgeous sunny weather paired with the cool air. Do visit the place (safely!).

Next stop: Lourdes!