Azpeitia, Part One: Thoughts on Past and Present

By Anna

Updated August 1, 2026

The view from the Sanctuary of St. Ignatius of Loyola, in Azpeitia's Loiola neighborhood.

You may have heard the name Loyola associated with universities, or the Jesuits, the religious order that St. Ignatius of Loyola founded. (The Jesuits run Loyola University in Chicago, Maryland and New Orleans, and many other schools named Loyola.)

But before St. Ignatius of Loyola founded the Jesuits -- before he even became religious -- he was born here, in the town of Azpeitia, about an hour south of Donostia / San Sebastian. 

The Hermitage of Our Lady of Olatz, which St. Ignatius visited.

The first thing I noticed about Azpeitia was the nature. Whether you're at the bus stop or on the steps of the Sanctuary of St. Ignatius, you're surrounded by greenery. 

In this beautiful and peaceful place, it was easy to imagine what it must have been like when St. Ignatius of Loyola was here. (Fittingly, he was very into imaginative prayer.) It felt surreal to see the same mountains (the Izarraitz) and hear the same river (the Urola) that he did when he lived here. 

The Urola River, which runs from the mountains to the Bay of Biscay.

Near the Loiola bus stop. 

The tree-lined street leading to the Sanctuary of St. Ignatius of Loyola.

Though the area is peaceful today, it wasn't always that way. En route to the sanctuary, an educational display about the Spanish Civil War showed the spots in the mountains where people from Azpeitia and the surrounding area fought to defend their towns. The townspeople fought hard, but eventually the towns fell. 

A display about the Spanish Civil War in Azpeitia and the surrounding area, and locals who fought in it.

It was pretty sobering to learn that war came to a place with such a palpable sense of peace today, and to learn about the ordinary people affected. I still think about it. You can't take anything for granted.