Saint Ignatius of Loyola (1491-1556), Spanish theologian and founder of the Society of Jesus. Loyola was born into a noble family. He served as a page, then as a man at arms serving in many battles. However, he was seriously wounded at Pamplona in 1521, at which time he underwent a spiritual conversion. He studied theology and Latin in Spain and at Paris between 1524 and 1537. In 1539 he and some followers founded the Society of Jesus, devoted to priestly vows of poverty, chastity and obedience to the Church. The Society became a religious order and Loyola became its first Superior General. The Jesuits became a major force in the counter-Reformation opposed to the Protestant movement. Loyola was canonised in 1622 by Pope Gregory XV. This woodcut comes from van Opmeer's Opus chronographicum orbis universi, published at Antwerp in 1611.