Manresa

Manresa stands above the Cardener, its Gothic church of Santa Maria, known as the Seu, dominating the town. The great church reflects the prosperity of medieval Manresa. In 1522 Ignatius of Loyola stayed here, praying and undertaking penance; his experiences helped shape the Spiritual Exercises. During the War of the Spanish Succession, Bourbon troops burned the centre of Manresa in August 1713.