Born Inigo Lopez de Loyola in 1491, the man known as Ignatius of Loyola entered the world in Loiola, Spain. At the time, the name of the village was spelled Loyola, hence the discrepancy. Inigo came of age in Azpeitia, in northern Spain. Loyola is a small village at the southern end of Azpeitia.\rbr\rbrInigio was the youngest of thirteen children. His mother died when he was just seven, and he was then raised by Maria de Garin, who was the wife of a blacksmith. His last name, Loyola was taken from the village of his birth.\rbr\rbrDespite the misfortune of losing his mother he was still a member of the local aristocracy and was raised accordingly. Inigio was an ambitious young man who had dreams of becoming a great leader. He was influenced by stories such as The Song of Roland and El Cid.\rbr\rbrAt the age of sixteen, he began a short period of employment working for Juan Velazquez, the treasurer of Castile. By the time he was eighteen, he became a soldier and would fight for Antonio Manrique de Lara, Duke of Nájera and Viceroy of Navarre.\rbr\rbrSeeking wider acclaim, he began referring to himself as Ignatius. Ignatius was a variant of Inigio. The young Ignatius also gained a reputation as a duelist. According to one story, he killed a Moor with whom he argued about the divinity of Jesus.\rbr\rbrIgnatius fought in several battles under the leadership of the Duke of Najera. He had a talent for emerging unscathed, despite participating in many battles. His talent earned him promotions and soon he commanded his own troops.\rbr\rbrIn 1521, while defending the town of Pamplona against French attack, Ignatius was struck by a cannonball in the legs. One leg was merely broken, but the other was badly mangled. To save his life and possibly his legs, doctors performed several surgeries. There were no anesthetics during this time, so each surgery was painful. Despite their best efforts, Ignatius condition deteriorated. After suffering for a month, his doctors warned him to prepare for death.\rbr\rbrOn June 29, 1521, on the feast of Saints Peter and Paul, Ignatius began to improve. As soon as he was healthy enough to bear it, part of one leg was amputated which while painful, sped his recovery.\rbr\rbrDuring this time of bodily improvement, Ignatius began to read whatever books he could find. Most of the books he obtained were about the lives of the saints and Christ. These stories had a profound imp on him, and he became more devout.\rbr\rbr\rbrMore on St. Ignatius of Loyola: \rbr\rbrSupport Catholic Online by Subscribing to our Channel:\rbr\rbr\rbrCatholic Online Shopping: \rbr\rbr St. Ignatius of Loyola Collection\rbr[ St. Ignatius of Loyola 14 kt Gold-Filled Pendant \rbr[ St. Ignatius of Loyola Sterling Silver Pendant \rbr[ St. Ignatius of Loyola 14 kt Gold Medal\rbr[ St.