A Pilgrimage through Spain in the Footsteps of St. Ignatius with optional Rome Extension | 2025 Departures
Join us on a Pilgrimage through Spain in the Footsteps of St. Ignatius starting at $4399 from New York on the dates below. You will see Madrid, Plaza Mayor, Burgos, Loyola, Pamplona, Zaragoza, Manresa, Montserrat, Barcelona, and much more!
Departure dates
March 20, 2025 - Sold Out!
September 9, 2025
Contact: Jon Sterns
What's Included
- All Inclusive Pricing
- First Class Hotels
- Deluxe A/C Motor Coaches
- Fuel Surcharges and Gov't Taxes
- Entrance and Program Fees
- Guided Tours
- International Airfare from NY
- Overseas Airport Transfers
- Administrative Fee
- Hotel Gratuities
- Select Meals on Itinerary
Additional Baggage and Optional fees may apply.
Call: 615-870-1962 · Email: jon.sterns@cruiseplanners.com
Daily Itinerary
Day 1 Day 1 – DEPART THE USA
Depart the USA
Day 2 Day 2 – ARRIVE IN MADRID
Upon arrival in Madrid, you will meet your tour escort and transfer to your hotel. Tonight, you can walk through the Plaza Mayor. Dinner and your overnight stay are in Madrid. (B, D)
Day 3 Day 3 – BURGOS
Today, you will visit Burgos, the historic capital of Old Castile and the hometown of Juan Alfonso de Polanco, who was the order’s secretary and St. Ignatius’s collaborator in writing the Constitutions. Celebrate Mass at Santa Maria Cathedral. Many Spanish kings are buried here, and El Cid is Spain’s hero. The Cathedral of Burgos is the third-largest church in Spain and is striking for its beautiful Spanish Gothic style. Enjoy time on your own in the medieval city. Continue to Loyola, where in 1491, St. Ignatius Loyola was born in the Castle of Loyola. Dinner and your overnight stay are in Loyola. (B, D)
Day 4 Day 4 – LOYOLA
Begin the day at St. Ignatius’s childhood home. Celebrate Mass in Loyola Castle and then visit the room where St. Ignatius experienced his spiritual conversion. The readings include some of the very texts that Ignatius read leading up to his conversion and accounts of how Ignatius assisted others with their spiritual conversation. Visit the basilica adjacent to the castle—together forming much of the Sanctuary of Loyola—as well as the Loyola family archives. In the afternoon, you venture into the town of Azpeitia to visit the church in which Ignatius was baptized as well as the church outside of which he preached. See the hospital where he lived and worked after his studies in Paris. Travel to the Hermitage of Olatz and to Aranzazu, a popular shrine to Our Lady at the time of St. Ignatius, where we know Ignatius prayed for strength to overcome his former temptations. Dinner and your overnight stay are in Loyola. (B, D)
Day 5 Day 5 – PAMPLONA
This morning, you will travel to Pamplona, the birthplace and childhood home of St. Francis Xavier, a great Evangelist of the 16th century. After the battle of Pamplona, young St. Francis Xavier was sent to the University of Paris, where he would meet his roommate, St. Ignatius. Together, they would co-found the Order of the Society of Jesus. See where Ignatius was wounded defending the city against the French in 1521, visit Xavier (Navarre), where you will tour the castle in which Francis Xavier was born, and see a sculptured Crucifix, The Smiling Christ. Continue to Zaragoza for dinner and your overnight stay. (B, D)
Day 6 Day 6 – ZARAGOZA
Begin the day with Mass and a visit to the Basilica of Our Lady of Pilar, built to commemorate the place where the Virgin Mary, standing atop a pillar carried by angels, appeared to St. James. The basilica’s small, wooden statue of Our Lady of Pilar has been a regular stopping point for pilgrims now and during Ignatius’s life. Continue to Montserrat. Upon arrival in Montserrat, you will settle into your hotel for dinner and your overnight stay. (B, D)
Day 7 Day 7 – MANRESA & MONTSERRAT
Travel to Manresa, a place of profound conversion for Ignatius. Visit the Cave of Saint Ignatius, where the saint retired to meditate and write his spiritual exercises. Celebrate Mass here. You will see the chapel where St. Ignatius remained motionless in ecstasy for eight days and visit the Basilica of la Seu, the large Gothic church that has come to symbolize Manresa. You will enjoy a presentation and wander through the museum at Manresa. St. Ignatius remained in Manresa for about 18 months before continuing his journey to Barcelona. In the afternoon, you will make your way back to Montserrat. You will visit the Shrine of Our Lady of Montserrat. Since the 12th century, pilgrims have traveled to venerate the miraculous statue of the Black Madonna. According to Catholic tradition, the Black Virgin of Montserrat statue was carved by St. Luke around 50 AD and brought to Spain. It is believed that the founding of the Society of Jesus by St. Ignatius of Loyola was inspired by the Black Madonna’s apparition to St. Ignatius during his pilgrimage to the Shrine of Montserrat. Your overnight stay is in Montserrat. (B, D)
Day 8 Day 8 –BARCELONA
This morning, you will enjoy free time exploring the grounds of the monastery or taking the funicular to the top of the mountain. Then, descend the mountain and journey into Barcelona. This afternoon, you will visit the Barri Gotic (gothic quarter) in the center of the city. Many of the buildings here are listed as World Heritage sites, including the Sagrada Familia Church, which has been under continuous construction since 1882. Designed by renowned architect Gaudi, it is now slated for completion in 2026! While strolling La Rambla, see the font de Canaletes. Check into your hotel in Barcelona for your overnight stay. (B, D)
Day 9 Day 9 – RETURN TO THE USA
Return to the USA
Enhance Your Journey
Rome Extension
STARTING AT $1,999
Day 9 – Fly from Barcelona to Rome
Transfer to Barcelona airport to fly to Rome. Your guide in Rome will greet you at the airport and escort you into the city for a driving tour to help you acclimate to where things are. Check into your hotel for dinner and overnight. (D)
Day 10 - Vatican
We begin this morning at Capitoline Hill overlooking the Forum. The stairs leading here to the piazza, the Cordonata, were designed by Michelangelo (as was the geometric pattern in the pavement of the piazza). Walking Michelangelo’s famous staircase, we come to the Gesu Church, the Mother Church of the Jesuit Order, which began in 1568. This is where St. Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Jesuit Order, lies in repose. The building of this church in the 5th century signals the arrival of Christianity in Rome. Here, we celebrate Mass. We will visit the Ignatian Rooms nearby here. We will also visit San Ignazio and San Luigi dei Francesi, housing Caravaggio’s St. Matthew and the Angel. Enjoy a guided tour of the Vatican’s Museums and Sistine Chapel this afternoon. Built by connecting portions of the old papal residence with newer structures, the museum houses a world-renowned collection of art and antiquities. Michelangelo painted the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel between 1508 and 1512 and later painted The Last Judgment between 1535 and 1541 for Popes Clement VII and Paul III. The primary function of the chapel is the Papal Conclave, providing the place where the College of Cardinals of the church gathers to elect a new pope. Then, walk through St. Peter’s Basilica and celebrate Mass here. The present structure, completed in 1590, was built over the Byzantine and Middle Ages structures that marked the tomb of Saint Peter. There are more than 100 tombs within the basilica, including, most recently, Saint John Paul II. Mass continues to be celebrated here. Dinner is on your own tonight. (B)
Day 11 – Rome
Begin your afternoon with a visit to the Archbasilica of Saint John Lateran. Six popes are entombed here. Next door is the Holy Staircase (Scala Santa), brought from Pilate’s Palace in Jerusalem by Saint Helena in the 4th century. Climbing the stairs on your knees is a devotion that many pilgrims perform, and a plenary indulgence is granted for completing this feat. Next is the Basilica of Saint Lawrence Outside the Walls (San Lorenzo). Saint Lawrence was one of the first seven deacons of Rome, martyred in 258. The church is built next to catacombs that lead down to his grave. The relics of Saints Justin Martyr and Stephen are also enshrined here. Continue your pilgrim journey to the Basilica of Saint Mary Major (Maria Maggiore). This is the largest Marian church in Rome. Its construction began after the Council of Ephesus in 431 proclaimed that Mary was the Mother of God. Saint Jerome, translator of the Bible into the Latin Vulgate, is buried here. Celebrate Mass in one of the churches here. Dinner is on your own tonight. (B)
Day 12 – Pilgrimage in Rome
This morning, you will begin your day at the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls. The present structure stands over the place where Constantine built the first church over Saint Paul’s grave. The church features a portrait of every pope who has served the church, with the face of Pope Francis I illuminated as the present pontiff. Step beneath the surface into the Catacombs of Callixtus, built along the Appian Way. Here, sixteen popes from the 2nd through 4th centuries were interred, though they have been removed to various churches over the centuries. San Sebastian Outside the Walls is another of the seven Pilgrimage churches built over the Catacombs of Saint Sebastian. The remains of Peter and Paul were temporarily protected here during the Valerian Persecution of 258. Our seventh and final pilgrimage stop is the Basilica of the Holy Cross in Jerusa-lem. Saint Helena brought Passion relics here, and the floor was covered with soil from Jerusalem. Relics here include Thomas’s index finger that touched Christ’s wounds after His resurrection and a piece of the Good Thief’s Cross. Those who want to complete the seven-church pilgrimage as declared by Saint John Paul II in 2000 can continue to one more stop at the Shrine of Our Lady of Divine Love. Here, a pilgrim pursued by dogs appealed to Our Lady, and she intervened for his safety. Pilgrims began to frequent the site, and a chapel was built here in 1745. Celebrate Mass in one of the churches. Dinner is on your own tonight. (B)
Day 13 - Return to the USA
Departure Dates
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Thursday, March 20, 2025From $4399 Sold Out!
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Tuesday, September 9, 2025From $4599
