Which saint founded the Society of Jesus (Jesuits)?

Which saint founded the Society of Jesus (Jesuits)? Ignatius of Loyola.

Ignatius of Loyola was a Basque nobleman and former soldier who underwent a religious transformation while recovering from a serious leg wound received at the Battle of Pamplona in 1521. He later studied in Paris, where he gathered six companions, including Francis Xavier and Peter Faber.

On 15 August 1534, the group made vows of poverty and chastity at Montmartre. Their community developed into the Society of Jesus, formally approved by Pope Paul III in 1540. Ignatius became its first superior general and guided the order’s early missionary, educational, and pastoral work.

Ignatius also wrote the Spiritual Exercises, a structured guide to prayer and discernment that remains central to Ignatian spirituality. The Jesuits adopted a distinctive fourth vow: special obedience to the pope concerning missions. Their schools and missionary activity made them major participants in the Catholic Reformation. Ignatius was canonized in 1622, alongside Francis Xavier, Teresa of Ávila, Philip Neri, and Isidore the Laborer.